Linkin Park delivers this year's League of Legends esports anthem, but it's no K-Pop banger
Riot Games has unveiled the 2024 League of Legends World Championship Anthem, a new track from Linkin Park called Heavy is the Crown, with a brand new music video that debuted today on YouTube.
"The 2024 Worlds Music Video envisions renowned League of Legends pro player Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok as a newly crowned king as he battles a legion of aspiring rulers who arrive on his doorstep," Riot said. "Through the story of a warrior fighting to protect a kingdom under siege, the video honors Faker and T1’s victory at Worlds 2023 while embodying the powerful spirit of League players. It also celebrates the rich history of kingdoms and dynasties in London, where the Worlds Finals will take place on November 2, 2024."
That definitely seems to be what's going on here. The ritual of succession in League of Legends appears to be a little more active than the one I'm accustomed to as a loyal citizen of the British Empire: Rather than, y'know, "the kid gets the lid," in League it seems they just plunk the crown jewels on the throne and let whoever shows up throw hands for it—which despite great expenditures of effort amounts to very little until Faker shows up, pushing his way through massive double doors in the dramatic fashion established by Aragorn at Rohan.
Courtesy of Riot, here's the full list of pretenders in the video and the teams they represent:
It's a lot of weight on Faker, but "heavy is the crown" isn't just the name of the song. It's also a bastardization of a famous line from William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 2: "Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose to the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude; and in the calmest and most stillest night, with all appliances and means to boot, deny it to a king? Then, happy low, lie down! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
Personally I'm more inclined to ascribe to Mel Brooks' take on the matter—it's good to be the king—but there's no denying that sooner or later, someone coming for the king might not miss. The good news for Faker, who's widely recognized as the greatest esports player of all time with multiple championships to his name including the 2023 Worlds, is that the worst-case outcome—losing a tourney—really sucks, but at least it doesn't result in your head on a pike and your limbs scattered to the four corners of the realm.
As for the song itself, it doesn't strike me as Linkin Park's best. It's very much a Linkin Park song, and the reception to the track in the comments on YouTube seem generally positive, but to my ear it's formulaic and phoned-in, as though the band is going through the motions because that's what it gets paid to do. It's definitely no Pop/Stars, the 2018 K/DA track that briefly turned me into a K-Pop fan.
Now that's a banger.
The League of Legends 2024 World Championship tournament kicks off tomorrow, September 25, and will conclude at the O2 Arena in London on November 2. You can follow along at lolesports.com.