The esports world recently saw a rare pause in its usual fast pace. Riot Games, the powerhouse behind League of Legends, pushed back the release of its much-anticipated Worlds 2025 anthem. The company announced on a Wednesday that the song, a yearly tradition for the game’s biggest tournament, would now drop on the following Monday, October 13. This delay wasn’t a technical glitch, but a direct result of controversy surrounding one of the featured players.
The trouble began back on September 9. Gabriel "Bwipo" Rau, a top laner for the team FlyQuest, made some remarks that many found sexist. His team acted quickly, punishing him and benching him for their next competitive series. However, the comments had a longer reach. Riot Games had already included Bwipo in the Worlds 2025 music video. Facing public scrutiny and their own company values, they decided to remove him from the final cut. This last-minute edit meant a big scramble during the final stages of video production, forcing the delay.
A significant consequence of this removal hits the broader esports community. Bwipo was slated to be the sole player representing both LTA South and LTA North, known together as League of The Americas. With him out of the video, the entire continent of North and South America will not be featured in this year’s Worlds song, a change from the original plan.
Riot Games later released a statement explaining their decision:
The Worlds Music Video will now launch on October 13, a few days later than originally planned. Bwipo was featured in the original cut, but given his recent comments, we decided it wouldn’t be right to showcase him in a piece that represents LoL Esports, pro players, and fans.…
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 8, 2025
The company clarified that this decision was not a competitive penalty or a formal sanction. Instead, it was a choice about how they want to present their sport and its community on a global scale. In their words, "it wouldn’t be right to showcase him in a piece that represents LoL Esports, pro players, and fans" given his recent comments. This highlights a growing trend where player conduct outside of the game can have real effects on major brand productions.
The new launch date for the music video, October 13, means fans will hear the anthem just one day before the World Championship kicks off. The tournament starts on Tuesday, October 14, with a highly anticipated match between T1 and Invictus Gaming. The winner of that clash will move on to the Swiss stage, while the losing team faces early elimination from the championship. It’s a stark reminder that even with all the hype, off-field actions can still reshape the narrative right up to the last minute.