Legends Never Die (Against the Current song)

"Legends Never Die"
Cover art for "Legends Never Die", showing its characters Ashe and Lee Sin in an ambiguous player in a white background, with the song and featured band names in the top left and "Worlds 2017" and its logo in the bottom right.
Single by Against the Current
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2017 (2017-09-15)
Genre
Length3:55
LabelRiot Games
Songwriters
Producers
  • Mako
  • Oliver
  • Riot Games Music Team
Against the Current singles chronology
"Young & Relentless"
(2016)		 "Legends Never Die"
(2017)		 "Almost Forgot"
(2018)
Music video
"Legends Never Die" (feat. Against the Current) on YouTube

"Legends Never Die" is a song by American rock band Against the Current. Written by Sebastian Najand, Justin Tranter, Alexander Seaver, Alexander Temple, Edouard Brenneisen, Jason Willey, and Kyle Casey Hicks and produced by Mako, Oliver, and the Riot Games Music Team, the song was designed as the theme song for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship. The song was first released on the League of Legends YouTube channel on September 14, 2017, and was released as a single under Riot Games the next day. The ballad has been described as a rock and metal song with lyrics that revolve around never giving up and reaching goals.

"Legends Never Die" was well-received upon its release. Many critics have called it one of the best League of Legends World Championship songs. The song has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and Platinum by Recorded Music NZ. The song's animated music video shows League of Legends champions Ashe, Lee Sin, and Garen training to become champions. Against the Current performed "Legends Never Die" at the opening ceremony of the 2017 League of Legends World Championship, and Chrissy Costanza opened the 2025 World Championship with a medley including the song. Norwegian DJ Alan Walker released a remix of the song. "Legends Never Die" has gained wide success on Spotify and YouTube. Costanza has said that the song's success changed her career.

Background and release

Riot Games has released a theme song for each League of Legends World Championship since 2014, when the tournament collaborated with Imagine Dragons, who performed "Warriors" for the 2014 World Championship. The publisher then worked with Nicki Taylor for "Worlds Collide", the 2015 World Championship theme song, and Zedd, who made "Ignite", the 2016 World Championship theme song. Continuing the trend, Riot Games collaborated with Against the Current for "Legends Never Die", which served as the theme song for the 2017 World Championship.[1][2]

"Legends Never Die" was written by Sebastian Najand, Justin Tranter, Alexander Seaver, Alexander Temple, Edouard Brenneisen, Jason Willey, and Kyle Casey Hicks and produced by Mako, Oliver, and the Riot Games Music Team. Najand explained that with the song, they wanted to have a song with similar elements to previous work but make it sound more personal. He sent demos he created to Seaver, who then sent back a written verse. League of Legends released the song on its YouTube channel on September 14, 2017, and it was officially released as a single on September 15, 2017, under Riot Games.[2][3][4] The song's single cover art shows League of Legends champions Ashe and Lee Sin in the silhouette of a "very ambiguous player".[5]

Composition

"Legends Never Die" is a ballad that has been described as a "stadium-sized" rock and metal song.[6][7][8] It is three minutes and 55 seconds long.[3] According to the sheet music published to Musicnotes.com by Warner Chappell Music, it is in E minor with a tempo of 140 beats per minute. Chrissy Costanza's vocals range two octaves from E3 to E5 throughout the song.[9] The song begins with a pad that fades in before its buildup between "haunting" verses and a "powerful" and "explosive" chorus.[8][10] It also utilizes crescendos and heavy percussion.[11]

The lyrics to "Legends Never Die" center around never giving up, facing difficult situations,[12][13] and reaching goals.[14] Writing for esports.gg, Lawrence "Malystryx" Phillips described the lyrics as about "the emotional struggle and grit needed to be the very best, to become a Legend".[10]

Reception

Upon its release, "Legends Never Die" gained a positive response.[5] Aaron Mickunas of Dot Esports said that the song builds hype for the championship.[1] For Polygon, Julia Lee said that the song "encompasses how epic Worlds is".[5] Upon Against the Current releasing "Wildfire", another collaboration with League of Legends for the 2022 LEC season's European Championship, NME's Ali Shutler called "Legends Never Die" an "incredible, stadium-sized anthem".[7] Daniel Martinez of TheGamer considered it the tenth-best rock song inspired by a video game.[15]

Many critics have called "Legends Never Die" one of the best League of Legends World Championship songs. Phillips ranked the song as the best World Championship song to date in 2025, saying it "has everything you'd ever want from a League of Legends Worlds anthem".[10] Ranking "Legends Never Die" second, Victoria Rose of Fanbyte characterized it as a powerful anthem.[8] Antonia Haynes placed "Legends Never Die" third on her ranking for Esports Insider, praising how the intensity of its lyrics suited its role as a championship anthem.[13] Grantham ranked "Legends Never Die" as the second-best World Championship anthem, saying it can give fans chills.[12]

"Legends Never Die" was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 2022, representing over 500,000 confirmed units being sold in the United States.[16][17] The song is also certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for over 400,000 confirmed sold units in the United Kingdom.[18] In New Zealand, it was certified Platinum by Recorded Music NZ in May 2026.[19] In Denmark, Italy, and Spain, it was certified Gold by IFPI Danmark, FIMI, and Promusicae, respectively.[20][21][22]

Music video

On October 18, 2017, the music video for "Legends Never Die" was released.[23] It uses a shortened version of the song.[8] The animated music video includes League of Legends champions Ashe, Lee Sin, and Garen training to become champions. It is different from previous League of Legends World Championship music videos due to more focus on champions than players and having a different animation style. However, there are minor references to the championship at the beginning and ending of the music video. Julia Lee of Polygon considered the music video to be "pretty neat" and "inspiring".[24] Twinfinite's Brandon Dubin called it the fourth-best League of Legends music video for being "pure" and "emphasiz[ing] the message", and described its animation as "unique and impressive".[14] By January 2025, the music video for "Legends Never Die" had received over 289 million views on YouTube, making it the fifth-most viewed video on the League of Legends YouTube channel at the time.[25]

Live performances

Against the Current performed "Legends Never Die" at the Beijing National Stadium at the 2017 League of Legends World Championship opening ceremony. Almost 50,000 people attended the performance. The concert included an augmented reality dragon flying in the crowd before ending up on the stage and growling at the audience. The performance earned Riot Games a Sports Emmy in Outstanding Live Graphic Design.[17][26] Costanza said the performance was life-changing for her, telling ESPN that it was "wild [...] I perform on stage almost every day now, so I don't get stage fright [...] but [the ceremony] was different from anything else."[26]

Against the Current included the song in the setlist for their tour in the United Kingdom in April 2022,[27] and performed the song in December 2022 as a supporting act for a Pierce the Veil concert at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London.[28] The band again performed "Legends Never Die" at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in December 2023.[29] At the Slam Dunk Festival 2024, Against the Current played "Legends Never Die" at the Kerrang! Stage, which Carol Giannattasio of MetalTalk believed "took the experience [of the performance] to a whole new level".[30] The band performed the song in August 2024 at Lafayette in London.[31] Costanza opened the 2025 League of Legends World Championship with a medley performance of "Warriors", "Phoenix", and "Legends Never Die".[32] In March 2026, Costanza performed the song along with "Phoenix" and "Wildfire" at the Korean esports festival T1 Home Ground.[33][34]

Remix and covers

Norwegian DJ and producer Alan Walker produced a remix of "Legends Never Die" that League of Legends released on YouTube. Kat Bein of Billboard characterized his production as changing the song from "anthemic and exciting" to "bright and bouncy" with a "tropical" sound. She also compared the remix's hook to a "half-time hardstyle tune".[6]

In April 2023, symphonic metal band the Dark Side of the Moon covered "Legends Never Die", supported with an original music video, for their debut album Metamorphosis. They released it ahead of the album itself "to shorten the waiting time [of the album]".[35] In November 2025, N.Flying released a medley cover of "Legends Never Die" and the 2023 League of Legends World Championship anthem, "Gods" by NewJeans.[36]

Legacy

"Legends Never Die" was credited by Dylan Oxley of The AU Review as the song that rose Against the Current to fame.[37] Jack Rogers of Rock Sound considered "Legends Never Die" to be a "megahit"; by March 2026, the song had received nearly 750 million streams on Spotify and an estimated 550 million total views across YouTube.[33] It was described by Cecilia Ciocchetti as "one of the most enduring anthems" in the competition's history.[32] Costanza has spoken out about the song's success, saying that it changed her career. She told Ciocchetti that she was "stunned" by its success and that "I have friends in my life that knew Legends Never Die, but that didn't know anything about League of Legends, that found League of Legends because of the song."[32]

"Legends Never Die" was used along with two other League of Legends World Championship theme songs, "Rise" and "Phoenix", in the "Zegends Never Die" DLC pack for Hextech Mayhem.[38]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Apple Music.[3]

Against the Current

Additional personnel

Certifications

Certifications for "Legends Never Die"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[20] Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[21] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[19] Platinum 30,000‡
Spain (Promusicae)[22] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Mickunas, Aaron (September 15, 2017). "The 2017 Worlds theme song is here—'Legends Never Die' feat. Against the Current". Dot Esports. Gamurs. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Jang, Minyoung; Hyun, Woo (September 14, 2017). "The Release of 'League of Legends 2017 World Championship' Theme Song: 'Legends Never Die'". Inven Global. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Legends Never Die - Song by League of Legends Music & Against the Current". Apple Music. September 15, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  4. ↑ League of Legends (September 22, 2017). Making of Legends Never Die | Worlds 2017 - League of Legends. YouTube. Archived from the original on March 8, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Lee, Julia (September 15, 2017). "'Legends Never Die' is the Worlds theme song players have been waiting for". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on May 3, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Bein, Kat (October 31, 2017). "Alan Walker Brings Victorious Sound to 'Legends Never Die' Remix for League of Legends: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Shutler, Ali (February 17, 2022). "Against The Current: the pop punk band who found a home in gaming". NME. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Rose, Victoria (July 11, 2022). "League Worlds Championship Anthems So Far, Ranked by a League Hater". Fanbyte. Archived from the original on June 27, 2026. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Digital Sheet Music – League of Legends feat. Against the Current – Legends Never Die". Musicnotes.com. Songs by Riot Games Music Publishing. Archived from the original on April 17, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 Phillips, Lawrence (August 29, 2025). "Best League of Legends Worlds Songs ranked (2014–2024)". esports.gg. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  11. ↑ Ciocchetti, Cecilia (September 24, 2024). "Every League of Legends Worlds song ranked". Dot Esports. Gamurs. Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Grantham, Joe (September 24, 2024). "The Best Worlds Songs for League of Legends". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on October 28, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Haynes, Antonia (October 19, 2025). "Every League of Legends Worlds anthem, ranked". Esports Insider. Archived from the original on March 18, 2026. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Dubin, Brandon (October 6, 2020). "The Best League of Legends Music Videos, All 17 Ranked". Twinfinite. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  15. ↑ Martinez, Daniel (December 7, 2023). "Best Rock Songs Inspired by Video Games". TheGamer. Valnet. Archived from the original on June 20, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "American single certifications – League of Legends and Against the Current – Legends Never Die". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  17. 1 2 Wilson-Taylor, James (February 25, 2022). "Against The Current's 'Legends Never Die' Is Now Certified Gold". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  18. 1 2 "British single certifications – League of Legends – Legends Never Die". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 7, 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Legends Never Die League of Legends in the "Search:" field.
  19. 1 2 "New Zealand single certifications – League of Legends feat. Against the Current – Legends Never Die". Radioscope. Retrieved May 8, 2026. Type Legends Never Die in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  20. 1 2 "Danish single certifications – League of Legends, Against the Current – Legends Never Die". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  21. 1 2 "Italian single certifications – League of Legends feat. Against the Current – Legends Never Die" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  22. 1 2 "Spanish single certifications – League of Legends / Against the Current – Legends Never Die". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  23. ↑ "League of Legends World Championships gets its very own montage video". PC Gamer. October 18, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  24. ↑ Lee, Julia (October 18, 2017). "'Legends Never Die' music video shows classic champions training". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on May 3, 2025. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  25. ↑ Enriquez, XC (January 13, 2025). "Close enough, welcome back, Arcane: Bite Marks is the most-viewed League of Legends cinematic ever". esports.gg. Archived from the original on August 16, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  26. 1 2 Erzberger, Tyler (November 9, 2019). "League of Legends World Championship final opening ceremony a spectacle like Super Bowl halftime show". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  27. ↑ Linazasoro, Nick (April 3, 2022). "A triumphant return: Against the Current return to the UK for their Fever tour". Brighton and Hove News. Archived from the original on December 14, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  28. ↑ Warby, Louise (December 7, 2022). "Pierce the Veil with Carolesdaughter & Against the Current Live Review from O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, 3rd December 2022". Rock Sins. Archived from the original on June 28, 2026. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  29. ↑ Wales-Harding, Megan (December 5, 2023). "Against the Current Electrifies London with Sold-Out O2 Forum Kentish Town Show". Melodic Magazine. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  30. ↑ Giannattasio, Carol (June 6, 2024). "Sun-Soaked Slam Dunk Festival Epic Evening Conclusion – Part Two". MetalTalk. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  31. ↑ Marshall, Will (August 4, 2024). "LIVE REVIEW: Against the Current @ Lafayette, London". Distorted Sound. Archived from the original on November 17, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  32. 1 2 3 Ciocchetti, Cecilia (November 28, 2025). "How music has amplified League of Legends esports, featuring an interview with Chrissy Costanza". Esports Insider. Archived from the original on March 18, 2026. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  33. 1 2 Rogers, Jack (March 16, 2026). "Chrissy Costanza to Perform 'Legends Never Die' at Korean eSports Festival 'T1 Home Ground'". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on March 27, 2026. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  34. ↑ Shutler, Ali (June 1, 2026). "Chrissy Costanza performs trio of League of Legends anthems live at eSports festival". NME. Archived from the original on June 25, 2026. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  35. ↑ Weaver, James (April 13, 2023). "The Dark Side of the Moon release new music video for 'Legends Never Die'". Distorted Sound. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  36. ↑ Daniels, Tom (November 10, 2025). "N.Flying releases cover of two League of Legends esports anthems". Esports Insider. Archived from the original on March 18, 2026. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  37. ↑ Oxley, Dylan (March 15, 2023). "Interview: Against the Current talk tours, Aus bands and video games". The AU Review. Archived from the original on August 25, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  38. ↑ Kenna, Francis (June 15, 2022). "Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story has three new DLC packs". NME. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
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