Spotify deal marks Riot Games’ evolution from game studio to entertainment entity

On November 3rd, 2018, four artists took the stage inside Munhak Stadium in the city of Incheon, South Korea. The pop stars, two Korean and two American, made up a brand new group that ushered in a change for Riot Games from a one-game esports studio to an entertainment entity.

It was the debut of K/DA and the band’s hit song POP/STARS, but it was also the debut of Riot Games’ MasterCard sponsorship which had only been announced about a month prior. In hindsight, the success of K/DA has had ripple effects throughout the last two years.

Riot Games has created a “Worlds Anthem” to go along with every international playoff since 2014 – but nothing created the hype that K/DA did. The accompanying…