About
Seraphine is a virtual pop artist created by Riot Games as part of the League of Legends universe. Her launch in September 2020 was one of the most sophisticated social media character rollouts in gaming history. For roughly six weeks before she was revealed as a LoL champion, Riot ran a stealth campaign where Seraphine posted on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok as if she were a real aspiring artist: sharing homemade demos, journalling about self-doubt and creative blocks, and building an audience that believed she was a real person. The reveal that she was a new game character generated enormous press coverage and debate about the ethics of undisclosed AI personas in marketing. During and after the campaign, Riot released actual music for the character, including a collaboration with K/DA, the virtual K-pop group from League of Legends whose all-star lineup features virtual singers alongside real artists like Madison Beer and (G)I-DLE members. Seraphine's songs were released on streaming platforms and her in-character social posts continued post-launch. She is a landmark case in how major game publishers are building virtual influencer personas outside the game environment to drive cultural reach, and she remains one of the most discussed examples of the boundary between AI marketing and audience trust.