The first player punished in S15 has been identified!

As the most popular global esports event, the League of Legends World Championship usually sees Riot carefully unveiling the official theme song and music video before the tournament starts. However, this year’s S15 theme song and MV have not been released yet, leaving many LOL fans curious. With the IG vs T1 play-in matches just days away, many speculate that Riot must have botched the MV production to cause such a delay.

Amid growing public discussion, Riot finally issued a clarification. They admitted that one protagonist in the S15 World Championship MV (Bwipo) recently made public comments that severely damaged Riot’s reputation and were discriminatory towards women. Therefore, Riot announced the removal of all Bwipo’s scenes from the MV and decided to reshoot with a new lead. Riot also issued a warning forbidding any player from discussing topics related to “insulting women.”

Following Riot’s announcement, many LPL fans wondered what Bwipo said to incur such sanctions. During the off-season, Bwipo publicly questioned why there are no female players in LOL esports, claiming that women’s menstrual cycles cause performance drops, making them unsuitable for professional play. This statement upset many female gamers and led several esports organizations to urge Riot to suspend Bwipo.

Bwipo’s remarks caused significant controversy overseas. His team, FLY, issued a punishment statement and promised multiple female esports organizations that Bwipo’s future prize money would be donated to support women in esports. Although both Bwipo and FLY apologized, public opinion remains divided: some viewers believe Bwipo’s comments were acceptable, while many others feel he underestimated female players. (What do you think about Bwipo’s statement?)

Last year, Bwipo led FLY to a full BO5 against GEN at Worlds, making many North American fans proud. Logically, Bwipo would have been featured as the “spiritual leader” of the NA region in the S15 World Championship MV. But his controversial remarks forced Riot to remove his footage. I suspect Bwipo had a significant presence in the MV, otherwise Riot wouldn’t have had to issue a public explanation for the delay. (Since FLY qualified for Worlds, what do you think their ceiling is?)

Conclusion

Personally, I think Riot’s punishment is justified. Riot has been actively promoting and supporting female players in recent years, with many games hosting women’s leagues. Bwipo’s remarks directly contradict Riot’s efforts. As a public figure, he should not have made such comments. I believe Bwipo realizes his mistake and has been apologizing on social media. Do you think Riot will forgive Bwipo after his apology to female players?