Spotify and Riot Games have entered an esports partnership that will see the global streaming platform become the global audio service provider for League of Legends.
Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game League of Legends is the biggest esport in the world. Last year, tournaments were held in over 37 different cities across five continents, with a record-breaking viewership of 21.8-million aerage minute audience watching the 2019 World Championship final.
But gamers and fans aren’t just playing: They’re also streaming.
The official League of Legends soundtrack racks up over 4.8-million Spotify listeners per month—a sizable number of both gamers and Spotify users. As a result, Spotify and Riot Games, the video game developer behind League of Legends, are joining forces for a multiyear partnership. Spotify is also now the official audio streaming partner for League of Legends global events.
The partnership will also give fans original podcasts, and curated playlists. Spotify provided the following information on the partnership:
- Official League of Legends Hub: Music is already important in the League of Legends world, but Spotify is taking it one step further by creating a hub. This will include new and existing music, podcasts and playlists inspired by the gaming community, including “This is League of Legends” and “Official League of Legends”playlists. Stay tuned for more coming soon.
- Elevated music moments: Spotify is also providing fans with a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Worlds Anthem through the Worlds Anthem Takeover on Spotify. This highly anticipated track is the hero song of the year. It is released alongside a bespoke music video and is then performed during the Opening Ceremony of the World Championship Finals, setting the tone and celebrating the big event. In previous years, Riot Games has worked with artists including Imagine Dragons, The Glitch Mob, and Against the Current.
- Exclusive and original podcast content: Spotify and Riot Games are working to create and launch several new League of Legends podcasts. Untold Stories: Top Moments from Worlds—a 9-episode series leading up to the 10th League of Legends World Championship this autumn—will be the first. Listeners will be able to hear about the top players and anthems through game highlights, recorded interviews, game sound effects and new interviews with key players.
“As a disrupter in their space similar to Riot Games, Spotify allows us to collectively challenge the limits of possibility as we blend sports, technology, entertainment, and music to create iconic experiences and content that inspire generations,” says Naz Aletaha, head of global esports partnerships at Riot Games.
* For additional details about this new partnership, check out Spotify’s blog, For the Record.