Riot Games has found itself navigating a public relations crisis after a controversial decision about the upcoming 2025 League of Legends World Championship anthem video. The choice of the company to remove a player Bwipo, led to the complete American region being cut off. The decision has sparked intense criticism from the worldwide fanbase. The move that was intended to stand against the past comments of the player has now backfired. Many are now calling out Riot Games for unfair punishment to the entire region.
Riot Games’ decision to leave LTA out of the 2025 LoL Worlds video sparks uproar
The reaction coming from the community after a decision was made public by LoL Esports X account has been unforgiving. While the post confirmed the launch of World’s Music Video on October 13, 2025, it informed that Bwipo was removed from it after his recent comments.
The update further stated, “because he was the player representing the Americas, that region will not appear in this year’s video as originally intended. As per the post, this decision was about how they represent sport & community on the global stage,
Fans on this post dissected the decision. They expressed their anger and confusion over the implications and the execution of such action. The sentiment wasn’t just about Bwipo’s removal but also about perceived hypocrisy and all the collateral damage that this one decision caused.
An X user questioned, “Just to further clarify…we get axed but…these regions, are they still in the video??? LITERALLY MURDERERS?! But still have representation?!” The user’s comment referenced here players like Lee “Yaharong” Chan-ju (arrested in Vietnam, for murder) and Kurtis ‘Toyz’ Lau (got sentenced to prison for trafficking and illegal sale of marijuana in Taiwan), who have been involved in some serious criminal cases, and yet they get featured in the video.
Another user was quick to critique the initial casting in the video. The user commented, “Why did yall pick an EU player to rep America anyway? Do better LOL esports.”
Further criticism even tried targeting the lack of consistency shown by Riot Games. A user argued, “Bwipo makes a bad comment. You never speak on it. You feature him on interviews… but putting animated Bwipo… is too much? you’re just chasing a PR win here.”
One of the most damning accusations came from a user named DevereuxUSA. The user boldly stated, “This is such a performative disaster. You put a dark cloud over the most anticipated video of the year just to score some virtue signaling points. If you really cared about ‘representing the community,’ you wouldn’t be partnering with the Saudi government.”
Riot Games questionable decision that led to its fallout
The entire controversy revolves around Riot Games’s decision to edit Bwipo out of the League of Legends World Championship anthem video. It was a direct response to his made sexist remarks during his personal stream. Despite him getting fined by FlyQuest, his team, and an issued public apology from his end, Riot Games clearly stated that to showcase him will not be right for representing the global LoL Esports community.
The decision, though, had some significant consequences. As Bwipo was a chosen representative for the Americas region, his removal means the entire region will be cut out from the final video. The move has been perceived by fans and observers as an overcorrection. It collectively punished American teams and also fans for an individual’s actions.
The situation even further got complicated after the recent commercial partnership of Riot Games with the Esports World Cup Foundation, Saudi Arabia—a nation with controversial records over human rights. Altogether, it has led to many directly questioning the moral stance of Riot Games, asking, “Is this how you represent your sport and community on a global stage?”
