Riot Games has announced a special cinematic titled ‘Why We Fight’ to celebrate VALORANT’s five-year anniversary, featuring Qing Madi’s latest single, ‘EGO.’
The cinematic is inspired by First Light, the event that led to the creation of Alpha Earth and laid the foundation for the VALORANT universe.
Qing Madi is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and entertainer known for her genre-blending fusion of Afrobeats, pop, soul and R&B. The prodigy is known for her critically acclaimed projects like ‘Qing Madi’ and ‘I Am the Blueprint,’ which have achieved over half a billion streams worldwide.
“Every now and then, an artist comes along who just naturally fits into a story, and Qing Madi was that perfect match for Mary Ade,” said Jonny Altepeter, Lead Music Supervisor at Riot Games. “Her raw demo of ‘EGO’ instantly captured the emotional depth we wanted to explore with this music video, and it became a powerful foundation for deeper storytelling in the VALORANT universe.”
Who is Mary Ade in VALORANT?
‘Why We Fight’ will officially introduce Mary Ade, Phoenix’s sister, whose arrival was teased earlier by Riot. While she will be VALORANT’s first non-playable character, Mary will play a key role in shaping Phoenix’s story moving forward.
“To celebrate our anniversary, we envisioned a special musical moment capturing the journey of our players and agents. This led us to create Mary, Phoenix’s sister and VALORANT’s first non-playable character,” said David Nottingham, Creative Director for VALORANT.
“Her song, ‘EGO,’ embodies the duality of our 2025 celebration: honoring our players who have been with us all these years with us and the emotional challenges faced by our agents, particularly Phoenix.”
This isn’t the first time Riot Games has collaborated with musicians. The publisher has previously teamed up with artists such as Zedd, Mark Tuan, MILLI, and more to create exclusive skins, Champion Anthems, and event-themed songs.
