League of Legends veteran removed from Worlds 2025 video after sexist remarks

LoL Worlds is the pinnacle event of the year for any League of Legends fan, as the MOBA's best players compete to become world champions (and become a fair bit wealthier, too). This year's tournament kicks off next week, and as is tradition, Riot Games has produced a Worlds 2025 song to set the tone. These annual anthems are always accompanied by a visually striking music video, typically featuring some of the biggest names competing in the tournament. However, following some controversial comments from FlyQuest's Gabriel 'Bwipo' Rau, Riot has announced that it's delaying the release of the music video so that it can cut the toplaner out.

Last month, Bwipo was suspended by FlyQuest after making what it described as "sexist comments" during a livestream. The comments pertained to why women shouldn't play games like League of Legends during certain points in their menstrual cycles. Bwipo apologized, acknowledging that his remarks "were ignorant and disrespectful to women," and served his suspension.

He has since returned to the FlyQuest lineup, helping the team win the LTA Championship finals at the end of September, which secured qualification to Worlds.

A LoL esports veteran that's been involved in memorable moments for both European and North American teams, Bwipo was set to be the NA representative in the upcoming LoL Worlds 2025 music video. Now, less than a week before the start of the tournament and roughly 48 hours before the planned premiere of the Worlds anthem on Friday, October 10, Riot has announced that it's delaying the video's release because Bwipo is being edited out of it.

"The Worlds Music Video will now launch on October 13, a few days later than originally planned," Riot says in a post on social media. "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.

"Editing him out required significant changes during the final stages of production, and because he was the player representing the Americas, that region will not appear in this year's video as originally intended. This was not part of any sanction or competitive ruling, but a decision about how we represent our sport and community on a global stage."

Given that Bwipo has served his suspension, apologized, and will be playing in the tournament itself which will be broadcast around the world, the decision to cut him out of the music video is a bold one from Riot. Neither Bwipo nor his team have commented on this decision at the time of writing.

The League of Legends Worlds 2025 music video will now air on Monday, October 13, the day before the tournament starts. LoL Worlds itself concludes with the grand final on Sunday, November 9.