Riot Games has announced that Oli Sykes (Bring Me The Horizon), Courtney LaPlante (Spiritbox), and longtime Valorant collaborator Grabbitz have teamed up as performers for the 2026 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Anthem.
Written and produced by Grabbitz, ‘If The Sun Burns Out Tonight’ marks his fourth collaboration with Valorant and will be released globally on all major streaming platforms alongside Valorant Champions Shanghai from September 24-October 18.
Oli Sykes, Courtney LaPlante, and Grabbitz combine forces for Shanghai Anthem
Ahead of the song’s release, Riot Games has debuted an accompanying promotional trailer that offers players and fans a behind-the-scenes look at the collaboration.
The film follows the song’s evolution as ideas are exchanged, demos move from one artist to the next, and each collaborator leaves their signature mark on the track.
This year’s Champions anthem brings rock frontman Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon together with Courtney LaPlante, vocalist of the progressive metal band Spiritbox, to perform the anthem for Valorant’s biggest stage.
The collaboration marks LaPlante’s second project with Riot Games, following her performance of ‘Ties That Bind’ for 2XKO, while introducing Sykes to the Riot Games universe for the first time.
For Grabbitz, this collaboration marks a return to familiar ground. His previous three collaborations with Valorant, including the 2021 hit ‘Die for You’, the 2022 anthem ‘Fire Again’ performed by Ashnikko, and 2023’s ‘Ticking Away’ with bbno$, have collectively amassed 350M+ streams worldwide.
Artists comment on their Valorant Champions Shanghai collab
“The best collaborations happen when everyone brings a different perspective to the room – and that’s what makes this record so exciting to me,” explains Grabbitz. “Oli, Courtney and I came together from different corners of the globe, and landed on a track that sits effortlessly between my electronic world and the heavy landscapes of Bring Me The Horizon and Spiritbox. The 3 of us just clicked – and the result is what I believe to be the best Valorant anthem to date.”
“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,” shares Oli Sykes.
“I cannot wait to release this song! 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,” adds Courtney LaPlante.
Bob DeBelina, Music Artist Partnerships Manager at Riot Games celebrated the collaboration on behalf of the Valorant developer, saying, “Welcoming artists of Oli Sykes and Courtney LaPlante’s caliber into the world of Valorant this year has been an incredible honor for us. They’re two of the most respected voices in modern heavy music, and we’re thrilled they brought their own creative vision and emotion to this year’s Champions anthem.
“Pairing them with Grabbitz, the artistic force behind some of Valorant’s most iconic musical moments, made for an incredible collaboration. The three of them immediately clicked as a creative team, blending their distinct styles into something that feels authentic to each artist while staying true to the spirit of Champions. We can’t wait for players to experience what they created together!”
The Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026 Finals will take place from September 24 to October 18, bringing together the world’s top 16 teams to compete for the championship in this sixth edition of the tournament. Valorant Champions has held its previous editions in Berlin, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Paris.
Which teams do you think will make it to Shanghai for Champs? Let us know what you think on the Insider Gaming Discord
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Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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