League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational 2025 Opening Ceremony

The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational 2025 Opening Ceremony took place on July 12th at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, where Done+Dusted partnered with Riot Games to reimagine one of esports’ most iconic moments: the pro-player walkout. Our role was focused squarely on creative production support—developing, pitching, and delivering a show designed to spotlight the finalists and put the competitors themselves at the heart of the spectacle.

The staging was a breakthrough: finalists walked directly through the fans, creating an electric connection between players and audience while amplifying anticipation for the championship clash. With the thunder of Uzume Taiko drummers setting the pace, the walkouts became a visceral experience that built hype worthy of the global stage. Done+Dusted handled on-site production support, talent wrangling, lighting, screens, blocking, and show flow, ensuring a flawless execution that kept the pros front and center.

The results spoke volumes. More than 7,000 fans packed the Pacific Coliseum, while the broadcast peaked at 3.4 million+ live viewers across YouTube and Twitch—shattering MSI’s previous viewership record of 2.8 million. Despite working within a modest $100K budget, the ceremony delivered big-stage impact, underscoring the strength of Done+Dusted’s creative partnership with Riot and the ability to scale ambition to fit the moment.

Sponsored by Mastercard, the 2025 MSI Opening Ceremony was more than just a prelude—it set a new benchmark for how esports can fuse live spectacle, fan proximity, and competitive storytelling. With Riot, we continue to elevate global gaming culture, looking ahead to Valorant Champs in Paris and League of Legends Worlds in Chengdu later this year.