How does Linkin Park’s Worlds 2024 anthem fit LoL’s past music tie-ins?

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Linkin Park’s “Heavy is the Crown” continues LoL’s tradition of using major pop and rock names for Worlds tie-ins
Linkin Park’s “Heavy is the Crown” was released last night as the anthem for the 2024 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship, which begins today in Berlin. It is also being positioned as a major music moment for Worlds, with the video already attracting over 500,000 views and around 100,000 fans waiting for its YouTube premiere on the League of Legends channel. This latest tie-in sits alongside LoL’s earlier music collaborations, including work with Imagine Dragons and Lil Nas X, and its virtual group K/DA project.
The new anthem is built as a Worlds-specific music-and-game crossover
The music video blends an animated version of Linkin Park with LoL players in a palace setting, and it depicts pro player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as a newly crowned king. The video also features players named from multiple teams, including T1 (Faker, Keria, Gumayusi, Zeus, Oner), G2 (Caps), Flyquest (Massu), Red Canids (Brance), BLG (Bin), and GenG (Chovy). That approach mirrors how LoL tie-ins typically connect recognizable music branding to in-game and esports figures for Worlds storytelling.
LoL has already used mainstream artists for earlier Worlds-era tie-ins
LoL previously collaborated with Imagine Dragons and Lil Nas X, linking popular music artists to the league’s global esports spotlight. In those earlier cases, the common thread is that the tie-ins come from widely known mainstream acts rather than only in-house or niche performers. “Heavy is the Crown” follows that same pattern by bringing a major alternative rock and rap-metal band into the Worlds anthem role.
K/DA shows LoL’s use of character-based, virtual music branding
LoL also formed the virtual group K/DA, built with members from (G)I-dle’s Miyeon and Soyeon, alongside Madison Beer and Jaira Burns. K/DA represents a distinctive LoL model where music is delivered through a branded, character-led concept that ties directly to the game’s identity. With “Heavy is the Crown,” the animated band and LoL player cast continue that style of merging music presentation with LoL’s visual world.
The anthem is also timed to Linkin Park’s wider release cycle
“Heavy is the Crown” will be included in Linkin Park’s next album “From Zero,” due November 15, which extends the tie-in beyond Worlds week. That timing places the song across both the tournament spotlight and the band’s broader album rollout. For LoL, it keeps the anthem aligned with high-visibility music release momentum while remaining centered on the Worlds 2024 start in Berlin.

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How does Linkin Park’s Worlds 2024 anthem fit LoL’s past music tie-ins?

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