Lil Nas X is adding a new line to his résumé: president of “League of Legends.”
Riot Games announced that the Grammy-winning, genre-busting rapper/singer/songwriter has come on board with the honorary title of president of the “League of Legends” multiplayer battle game.
In this role, starting with the 2022 League of Legends World Championship esports tournament, Lil Nas X will be responsible for “creating explosive musical moments,” including a live performance for the game’s 180 million monthly players and fans, as well as a new League champion skin.
“I felt like it was time for me to try something new,” Lil Nas X said in a statement. “I’ve left my mark on pop culture in so many ways, and now it’s time to take on the world of gaming. I will be the greatest President of League of Legends, of all time. Also I’m going to make the best Worlds anthem of all time and put on the biggest, coolest, sexiest Worlds in the history of all Worlds!” He aded, “’Star Walkin’ is the only song anyone is allowed to listen to from now on. Swag fr!”
Under the partnership, Lil Nas X will kick off the League of Legends World Championship by performing the competition’s annual musical anthem: “Star Walkin,” which will debut Sept. 23 just prior to the start of Worlds on Sept. 29 in Mexico City.
On Nov. 3, Lil Nas X and Riot Games will release a first-of-its-kind in-game cosmetic (a “prestige skin”) for a brand new League champion, “K’Sante the Pride of Nazumah.” Then Lil Nas X will take the stage with a live performance at the Worlds Opening Ceremony leading into the World Final at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday, Nov. 5.
“Lil Nas X is the most electrifying name in music, so when he showed up at our headquarters and told us that he wanted to be President of League and join us throughout Worlds, we of course said ‘yes’,” said Naz Aletaha, global head of League of Legends esports for Riot Games. “We’ve all been blown away by his vision, passion, and undeniable style, and we can’t wait to see what he brings to the Worlds stage in San Francisco this November.”
The Lil Nas X “Prestige Empyrean K’Sante” skin will be released Nov. 3 worldwide and unlockable until Nov. 14. The in-game skin will not be available for direct purchase, but earnable through playing League of Legends or Teamfight Tactics games during the Worlds 2022 in-game event. Players will have to earn in-game currency (2,000 Worlds 2022 tokens) to permanently unlock the skin.
In the annual League of Legends World Championship tournament, 24 top teams from 11 regions compete for the title. According to Riot Games, the 2021 Finals match posted an average minute audience (AMA) of more than 30 million viewers and more than 73 million peak concurrent viewers.
