In a monumentally ambitious fusion of modern alternative metal and high-stakes global esports, Bring Me The Horizon frontperson Oli Sykes and Spiritbox vocalist Courtney LaPlante took to the stage together in Shanghai on October 18. Performing live at the Grand Finals Opening Ceremony of the Valorant Champions Tour, the iconic duo delivered the debut live performance of their collaborative anthem, "If The Sun Burns Out Tonight."
Crafted and produced by acclaimed American EDM artist and composer Grabbitz (Nicholas Chiari) in tandem with Riot Games Music, the track serves as the official sonic centerpiece for this year’s Valorant world championship. The event held at Shanghai’s state-of-the-art arena transformed a premier competitive gaming tournament into a multimedia theatrical spectacle.
Beyond celebrating the pinnacle of tactical first-person shooter competition, the performance highlighted an ongoing cultural convergence: the seamless integration of heavy alternative music within mainstream video game infrastructure. As millions watched across global broadcasts and streaming platforms, the collaboration underscored how video game developers are redefining live entertainment by pairing cutting-edge visual production with arena-filling rock and electronic icons.
Detailed Chronology
[Phase 1: Composition & Recording] ➔ [Phase 2: Digital Release & Buzz] ➔ [Phase 3: The Live Shanghai Reveal]
Phase 1: Conceptualization and Studio Production
The origins of "If The Sun Burns Out Tonight" stem from Riot Games’ long-standing tradition of crafting custom, high-energy musical themes for its major international tournaments. Seeking a sound that captured the emotional volatility, extreme focus, and high-intensity atmosphere of elite Valorant competition, Riot Games tapped producer Nicholas Chiari—professionally known as Grabbitz.
Grabbitz, who previously achieved critical acclaim within the esports sphere for his work on earlier Valorant anthems, envisioned a hybrid arrangement that bridged cinematic electronic production with the raw aggression of contemporary post-hardcore and djent-infused metal. To bring this ambitious soundscape to life, he enlisted two of modern rock’s most commanding vocalists: Oli Sykes, whose band Bring Me The Horizon has consistently spearheaded genre-defying evolutions, and Courtney LaPlante, whose band Spiritbox has undergone a meteoric rise to become one of modern metal’s most celebrated acts.
Over months of covert studio sessions, the trio constructed a layered arrangement specifically tailored to weave together Sykes’ signature emotionally charged rasp and LaPlante’s versatile balance of haunting melodies and guttural roars.
Phase 2: Digital Release and Global Reception
The collaboration was officially unveiled on digital streaming platforms in September, immediately sparking widespread praise across both the music press and gaming communities. Serving as the sonic backdrop for tournament promotional packages, cinematic trailers, and broadcast intros throughout the Valorant Champions postseason, "If The Sun Burns Out Tonight" quickly generated tens of millions of streams.
Music critics noted how the song avoided the typical pitfalls of commercial tie-ins, standing firmly as a legitimate heavy rock single while retaining the anthem-like escalation required for stadium esports entrances.
Phase 3: The Live Shanghai Reveal
The culmination of the project arrived on October 18 during the opening ceremony of the Grand Finals in Shanghai. Designed as an immersive theatrical narrative representing a stark battle between light and darkness, the staging leveraged massive LED arrays, projection mapping, and synchronized lighting choreography.
Visual Staging: Sykes took the stage clad in stark, avant-garde black attire, surrounded by a troupe of dancers outfitted in matching dark robes. In stark contrast, LaPlante emerged under brilliant spotlights wearing an elegant, all-white ensemble, flanked by performers dressed in radiant white garments.
Vocal Dynamic: The performance executed a delicate balance between atmospheric tension and explosive payoff. Sykes led the initial verses with driving electronic soundscapes building beneath him, before LaPlante joined for the soaring, duel-vocal choruses. The dual vocal delivery reached its climax during the heavy breakdown section, backed by synchronized pyrotechnics that lit up the Shanghai arena.
[LIGHT SIDE] [DARK SIDE]
Courtney LaPlante (All-White) <---VS---> Oli Sykes (All-Black)
Backed by Dancers in White Backed by Dancers in Black
/
---> [CENTRAL STAGE COLLISION] <---------/
"If The Sun Burns Out Tonight"
Supporting Context & Metrics
The Esports Dimension: Valorant Champions Grand Finals
The musical spectacle set the stage for one of the most fiercely contested series in competitive gaming history. Following the opening ceremony, Brazilian powerhouse organization LOUD squared off against European titans Team Vitality in the best-of-five Grand Finals match.
LOUD ultimately secured a decisive 3-1 victory over Team Vitality, capturing the coveted Champions trophy along with the $1,000,000 first-place prize. The team’s strategic execution was anchored by in-game leader Roberto "Lobos" Lobos, who delivered a masterclass performance throughout the series to earn the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Viewership & Audience Engagement
The event demonstrated the vast global reach of modern esports entertainment:
Peak Viewership: The final broadcast peaked at an astounding 1.49 million concurrent viewers across official Twitch, YouTube, and regional co-streaming channels.
Global Footprint: Streams were broadcast simultaneously in over a dozen languages, with massive viewing figures coming from North America, Brazil, Europe, and East Asia.
Cultural Impact: The live performance clip went viral across social media platforms within hours, trending globally on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, bridging the gap between fans who tuned in for elite gaming and those drawn by heavy music royalty.
The Convergence of Heavy Music and Gaming Culture
This high-profile collaboration is not an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of a decade-long evolution in how video game publishers approach music curation. Developers like Riot Games have transformed from software creators into full-fledged entertainment powerhouses, running internal record labels and producing chart-topping musical projects like K/DA and Arcane‘s award-winning soundtrack.
Heavy music, in particular, shares a deep architectural symmetry with competitive gaming:
High Energy & Adrenaline: The hyper-intense tempo and aggressive tonality of modern metalcore complement the fast-paced, high-stakes nature of tactical shooters like Valorant.
Shared Fan Demographics: The global audience for modern alternative rock heavily overlaps with the gaming community, making these cross-industry collaborations mutually beneficial for audience expansion.
Pioneering Precedents: Bring Me The Horizon previously paved the way for gaming soundtracks with their track "Ludens" for Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding (2019) and their contributions to various high-profile digital soundscapes. Sykes and his bandmates have consistently recognized interactive media as the new frontier for mainstream rock exposure.
Official Statements
Reflecting on the collaboration, the artists involved expressed deep enthusiasm for the artistic freedom and storytelling scope offered by the gaming medium.
"I’ve always been drawn to projects that blur the lines between storytelling and music, so working with Riot Games, alongside Grabbitz and Courtney, and becoming part of the Valorant world felt like a really natural fit."
— Oli Sykes, Vocalist, Bring Me The Horizon
Courtney LaPlante emphasized her long-standing professional camaraderie with Sykes and praised Grabbitz’s tailored production approach:
"Oli has given me the opportunity to perform live with BMTH many times over the years, and we’re finally debuting something we worked on together. Grabbitz produced such a great atmosphere and a song tailored to all three of our voices, and Oli went in right away and made it a true collaboration."
— Courtney LaPlante, Vocalist, Spiritbox
Producer Nicholas Chiari (Grabbitz) noted that designing a song for an arena-level esports championship requires a unique compositional mindset—balancing heavy, distorted riffs with grand, cinematic vocal hooks capable of reverberating through massive venues.
Future Outlook
The success of "If The Sun Burns Out Tonight" marks another high point in the careers of all involved, setting up a busy trajectory for both bands as they enter the next phase of their respective schedules.
Bring Me The Horizon
Following their high-octane appearance in Shanghai, Bring Me The Horizon are gearing up for a massive festival season and headline tour circuit scheduled for next summer. The Sheffield quintet continues to build on the success of their critically acclaimed POST HUMAN release series, with industry insiders anticipating further genre-bending collaborations and multimedia conceptual projects in 12–18 months.
Spiritbox
Spiritbox’s momentum shows no signs of slowing down. Having solidified their status as one of the most innovative acts in heavy music, the Canadian group is set to headline a highly anticipated series of tour dates in Australia this December. Their seamless execution on the international esports stage in Shanghai further cements Courtney LaPlante’s reputation as one of the most captivating frontwomen in modern rock.
The Broader Esports & Music Landscape
As live esports opening ceremonies continue to rival the Super Bowl Halftime Show in production value and global viewership, the partnership between Riot Games, Bring Me The Horizon, Spiritbox, and Grabbitz serves as a blueprint for future endeavors. The success of the Shanghai performance confirms that heavy alternative music has found a vital, forward-thinking home within the digital arena, proving that when world-class metal artists and top-tier competitive gaming collide, the cultural resonance extends far beyond the final match point.
