Futuristic dance titan Anyma will team up with Riot Games for the opening ceremony of League Of Legends Worlds 2025 before a special performance at Coachella 2026 – check out our exclusive interview below.
THE League of Legends The World Championship will take place in Chengdu, China, next November and for the opening ceremony, Anyma (real name Matteo Milleri) will unveil a unique live show combining music, technology, visuals and storytelling. “It’s going to be pretty revolutionary,” he says NME on Zoom.
The co-creative director will team up with Chinese popstar GEM for a reworked version of the official anthem of the 2025 Worlds, “Sacrifice”. Long lasting League of Legends His collaborator Chrissy Costanza and Austrian singer TEYA will also perform at the event at the indoor gymnasium of Chengdu’s Dong’an Lake Sports Park on November 9.
“I’ve been an avid gamer my whole life, so to be headlining Worlds 2025 is a true honor. Riot Games’ cohesive storytelling on such a grand scale truly feels limitless,” said Anyma. “League of Legends has created worlds that inspire millions, and I’m excited to bring my sound and touch into their world to push the boundaries of what’s possible through such an impactful medium.
Anyma is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of live music. He was the visual creative director for The Weeknd’s 2024 “One Night Only” concert in São Paulo, Brazil and launched the third and final part of his “Genesys” album trilogy with a twelve-night residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Before the shows, Eva, the digital protagonist of “Genesys,” scared the hell out of locals by smashing the giant video screens that make up The Sphere’s exterior, while the concerts themselves were a four-act “cyber opera” exploring AI, spirituality and human connection. At the historic concerts, Anyma performed his “dance music with a cinematic twist” from a light platform, 24 feet in the air and next to him, a pair of gigantic robotic arms played a cyberpunk cello.
Some purists weren’t happy that Anyma was the first electronic act to headline the iconic venue, but stage heroes including CamelPhat, Mike Dean and Tiesto had no problem opening for him. Throughout the run, Anyma was joined on stage by her collaborators Ellie Goulding, FKA Twigs, Grimes and Yeat.
Earlier this month, Anyma went even further, delivering a 10-hour, two-act concert of the Great Pyramids of Giza that closed out the “Genesys” project. The pictures have to be seen to be believed. This April, he’s set to debut his next creation – ÆDEN – at Coachella 2026, his name in large letters on the stacked poster.
Before that, there’s Worlds 2025. “Anyma inspired us with its revolutionary approach to visuals and stage design. We wanted this year’s Worlds to deliver a spectacle beyond anything we’ve done in the past, Anyma was the natural first choice,” said Maria Egan, Global Head of Music at Riot Games. NME in a statement.
“Our teams have never collaborated so deeply with another artist on Worlds visuals, but Anyma has been an incredible partner throughout the process, and we are confident that players and fans will be blown away by this incredible presentation of the League Intellectual property.
“It’s a side step but it’s a very advanced step,” Milleri says of his performance at the 2025 World Cup. “It’s not something I was doing in my free time, I spent six months there. It’s the first time that the Anyma project has entered a different world, other than its own, which has been really interesting to explore. I’ve put a lot of myself into [Worlds 2025] as well as the experience of my team and Riot. We all expect it to be very grand.
NME: Hi Matteo. What made you want to get involved? League of Legends?
Matteo Milleri: “I’m a big gamer and have been my whole life. I love the League Of Legends IP, from [Netflix adaptation] Esoteric at the Worlds, and it’s a real honor to be invited. Like me, they connect music and 3D animations, so collaborating was a no-brainer. Between my team, the Riot team and [live production company Done and Dusted]a lot of people were involved because the production value is very high. It’s really exciting to see so many people working together to achieve the same goal.
What do you hope the public takes away from the 2025 World Cup opening ceremony?
“I’m trying to bridge the gap between the physical and digital world. It’s something gamers do when they immerse themselves [into a title]. They detach themselves from reality and explore a new one. For a live experience based on a video game, I really want people to be unsure of what’s digital and what’s physical. Basically, it’s going to be super immersive.
You mentioned you are a gamer, what are your favorites?
“I’m a big Fantasy Finale fan. I like Zelda and the Dark souls series. I obviously play League of Legends and my favorite game of last year was probably Vampire Survivors. My favorite game soundtracks are definitely Final Fantasy 8, Final Fantasy 10, The Witcher And Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.”
Did the world of gaming inspire the Anyma project?
“Definitely. I get a lot of inspiration from video games as well as anime and manga; Neon Genesis Evangelion, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Ghost in the Shell, Dark myth: Wukong And Donghua SuperCube [have all influenced it].”
Obviously there’s a lot of technology and storytelling in Anyma, but I guess it all starts with the music?
“Of course. Without the song, I can’t create the visuals, I can’t conceptualize the show and I can’t bring the whole experience together. My music starts with a feeling, then I start dreaming of where I want to play it, the characters and themes it represents. That’s the spark that ignites the whole process.”
Musically, who do you draw inspiration from then?
“Lots of modern classical musicians such as Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Jóhann Jóhannsson and Vangelis as well as indie bands Radiohead and Portishead. Warp Records and Aphex Twin were also big inspirations in the early days of Anima. But now it could be anything exciting.”
How did it feel to conclude the “Genesys” era earlier this year with “The End Of Genesys”?
“Like a weight lifted off my chest. The way this whole project has come to life, both as a live show and a story told across three albums, has been liberating but also very empowering. We’re in a time where people want music as fast as possible, so [doing something across several years] went against the grain. But it was important to me to keep it all connected as one body of work. The fact that it’s all over is definitely a relief. [but it also] I feel like I managed to do what I wanted.
Why do you think people are connected to this project?
“I wasn’t trying to make something that would appeal to everyone, I just wanted to explore topics that I really care about. I think you build a more dedicated fan base when you explore specific things. [and create space] for them to try to understand your creative vision. It turns out that many people like atmospheric music, science fiction and questions about the future.
You have Æden premiering at Coachella next year – what can you tell us about it?
“Not much beyond what’s written on the flyer. It’s basically a whole new world that I’m building right now. You can expect new characters, new songs, and different perspectives on the storytelling. I want to move forward. I want to continue with the core of what I’m doing, but also push things a little further.”
Between Worlds and Coachella, what do you think about more people discovering the world of Anima?
“It’s always interesting to broaden the horizons of a project and have more people talking about it. I’m not afraid to explore that, if the opportunity presents itself. It just seems pretty exciting.”
It’s a very digital project, so why is it so important to play live?
“It’s the conclusion of every creative journey I take. I don’t need recognition but when you see all these people resonating with what you’ve built, it’s the greatest feeling. It’s rewarding and it’s what keeps you going. The whole project is meant to [evoke] people’s emotions and create a community that maybe, later, will help move things forward without me. The more exposure there is, the more people resonate with it, the better.
The opening ceremony of the League Of Legends Worlds 2025 will take place on November 9 and fans will be able to follow it live via lolesports.com.
