As part of their recent launch of Valorant’s first-ever desi agent Harbor, Riot Games released a unique soundtrack titled Raja composed by international producers ARB4, Mumbai-based rapper Tienas, and Indian vocalist Mangal Suvarnan.

What began as an outlet for lockdown-related frustrations, has evolved into a life force all its own. India's gaming industry saw a revenue boom in 2022, and with the growing popularity of e-sports and fantasy gaming, this sector looks set to achieve even greater heights. The world is no longer locked down and indoors, but gamers globally continue to seek new, engaging experiences. Indian gamers are no different and Riot Games capitalised on the mood by launching Harbor, Valorant's 21st agent. Harbor is making headlines not just because he is the latest, but also because he is Indian. The launch of Harbor, also known as Varun Batra, speaks volumes about the growing clout of the Indian gaming industry.

Harbor, a former task force agent, is shown to possess a miraculous ability to control and summon huge amounts of water. In order to do justice to such an evocative, compelling story, the soundtrack customised for the character and its global audience is equally powerful and emotional. In Raja a song by international music producers ARB4, Mumbai-based rapper Tienas, and Indian vocalist and musician Mangal Suvarnan, a fusion of desi hip-hop and Indian classical styles is featured, as well as traditional instruments such as the sitar, flute, and tabla. Taking inspiration from a variety of historical Indian sources, the artists created a soulful, punchy track aimed at getting players into the game.

“I grew up listening to Indian Carnatic music, so it was instinctively tapped intp many iconic Indian sounds,” says Suvarnan, a multi-instrumentalist and an avid gamer too. “In terms of lyrics, I think Tienas' talent speaks for itself. He’s an incredible wordsmith, flowing from English to Hindi seamlessly and a huge shout out to ARB4 for being such talented architects and bringing it all together.”

This is not the first time that Riot Games has integrated musical releases for its characters, and in Raja, they have a spectacular hit. Fans just cannot seem to get enough of the title track. Since it was officially released a month ago, it already has over 1.7 million views on the YouTube channel. Mumbai-based rapper Tanmay Saxena, popular as Tienas, is heralding a new wave in the Indian hip-hop community with his unique style. For Raja, Tienas traversed India’s rich history to unearth powerful notes. “The instrumental from ARB4 laid the foundation for me. Once I knew the character and understood it in depth, I could connect it with Indian kings from our history and mythology. Great rulers were born in India, and their tales influence the depiction of the characters for me. I used a lot of those references to paint Harbor as a modern-day king."

For an enhanced gaming experience, music and background score play a critical role since they contribute to emotion, storytelling, action, and drama. They also enhance the aesthetics of a gaming experience and allow gamers to connect emotionally to it. Riot Games hosted an experiential community event in Mumbai to commemorate Harbor’s launch, concluding the evening with an electrifying performance by ARB4, Survarnan and Tienas.

Speaking about the collaboration ARB4 said, “We wanted to find a way to transfer Harbor’s power and energy to the listeners musically, to make them feel that no task or mission is out of reach, and that within the game, anything is possible. We used the music to highlight Harbor’s personality, tough yet down-to-earth. An admirable character everyone looks up to — your big brother, who happens to be as cool as an Indian John Wick.”

“Our partner at Riot Games, music supervisor, and producer Jonny Altepeter called for a hip-hop-inspired track oozing with swag and Indian flare, and when duty calls, ARB4 answers! Suvarnan lent his flute and vocal skills, while Tienas totally crushed it with his unique cross-English-Hindi rap flow! Both played a vital part in lending their culture and expertise to the track. Mangal also produced an incredible sitar recording that pushed the track to the next level. This inter-continental collaboration made “Raja,” a challenging track to finish, but very rewarding. It’s one we wouldn’t trade for the world.”  ARB4 added.

With the launch of Raja, Riot Games is innovating its product line and creating hyperlocal experience through the incorporation of gaming and Indian music in order to connect with Indian audiences as well as build excitement among global gamers.

Click on the link below to watch the music video of Raja.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXWjwUl949Y (official audio)

Click on the link below to the audio of Raja.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OecnBibVBIc (Live)