OneRepublic – Give Me Something (for Arknights Endfield)

Written For A Game That Already Had 30 Million Pre-Registrations

Released on December 12, 2025, “Give Me Something” arrived as OneRepublic’s custom-composed theme track for Arknights: Endfield, a highly anticipated action RPG launching globally on January 22, 2026. The song debuted at The Game Awards ceremony in a music-video-style trailer that blended Ryan Tedder’s performance with cinematic sequences from the game’s frontier world of Talos-II. What makes this release remarkable is that OneRepublic created it exclusively for a gaming franchise that has surpassed 100 million downloads worldwide, marking their deepening involvement in the gaming industry after previous collaborations with Top Gun: Maverick, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and the Kaiju No. 8 anime series.

The song hasn’t charted yet since it was just released, but it arrived at a crucial moment for both OneRepublic and the gaming industry. Publisher GRYPHLINE revealed the announcement came as pre-registrations for Arknights: Endfield crossed 30 million worldwide, showing massive anticipation for the January launch on PlayStation 5, PC, and mobile platforms. The timing positions the track as more than just a promotional tool but as a genuine collaboration between one of pop’s biggest bands and a gaming universe with unprecedented global reach. In an era when gaming soundtracks routinely feature major artists, OneRepublic’s contribution stands out for being composed specifically for the game rather than licensed from existing material.

Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, and Simon Oscroft wrote both the lyrics and music, crafting a song that echoes the game’s themes of exploration and frontier expansion. The lyrics capture the restlessness of searching for something more, perfectly matching Arknights: Endfield’s narrative about humanity carving out civilization on an untamed world. Lines like chasing the glow and it’s a new world reflect the game’s focus on venturing into unknown territories, while the repeated plea give me something expresses the human need for connection and purpose that drives both the game’s story and OneRepublic’s musical identity. This wasn’t a generic commission but a genuine attempt to capture the emotional core of the game’s experience.

OneRepublic recorded the track following their sixth album Artificial Paradise, which dropped in July 2024 through Mosley Music Group and Interscope Records. That album marked the end of their contract with Interscope before they signed with BMG in July 2025, making Give Me Something one of their first releases in this transitional period. The band consists of Tedder on lead vocals and piano, Zach Filkins on lead guitar, Drew Brown on guitar, Kutzle on bass and cello, Eddie Fisher on drums, and Brian Willett on keyboards. The recording showcases their signature layered production style, with Tedder’s soaring vocals riding over propulsive rhythms and atmospheric synths. Their recent work includes three songs for the Kaiju No. 8 anime series, the UEFA Euro 2024 official track Fire with Meduza and Leony, and I Don’t Wanna Wait with David Guetta.

This single continues OneRepublic’s strategic pivot toward custom compositions for media properties rather than traditional album cycles. After Ryan Tedder publicly discussed dealing with crippling anxiety from constant touring in 2017, the band shifted to releasing standalone singles and selective collaborations. Their approach now emphasizes quality over quantity, choosing high-profile projects that align with their sound. Give Me Something follows Nobody, Invincible, and Beautiful Colors from Kaiju No. 8, plus their Mirage collaboration for Assassin’s Creed and the massive success of I Ain’t Worried from Top Gun: Maverick. The band has essentially become gaming and film’s go-to hitmakers, writing original music that serves both the property and their artistic vision.

The gaming industry’s embrace of OneRepublic reflects how video game soundtracks have evolved into legitimate pop culture moments. When Arknights: Endfield launches in January 2026 as a free-to-play title, Give Me Something will serve as its musical identity, heard by millions of players across multiple platforms. The game combines squad-based combat with factory-simulation mechanics and a sprawling open world, requiring a theme song that balances intimacy with epic scale. OneRepublic delivered exactly that, proving they understand how to write for visual media without sacrificing their distinctive sound. The band performed the song at The Game Awards, appearing alongside the game’s launch characters in a hybrid presentation that felt more like a concert than an advertisement.

Give Me Something represents where OneRepublic stands in 2024, a band that has sold over 16 million records worldwide by constantly adapting to how people consume music. They’re no longer just a pop-rock group releasing albums every few years but strategic collaborators who write for moments. Tedder’s genius for crafting emotionally direct melodies found perfect expression in a song about yearning for connection in vast, unknown spaces. As Arknights: Endfield prepares for its global launch, this track positions OneRepublic as the bridge between gaming culture and mainstream pop, proving that some of the most exciting music being written today isn’t for radio but for the millions of people exploring digital worlds every day.