VALORANT Game Changers
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Project:

VALORANT Game Changers 'Championship'

In the high-octane world of competitive esports, VALORANT Game Changers is a force to be reckoned with. They are women and gender-marginalized players within the VALORANT community, rejecting convention with their bold spirit and insanely talented play. Partnering with Riot Games, we set out to create a visually stunning campaign for the first-ever Game Changers Championship that matched the intensity and fearlessness of the pros themselves. This is how you Seize the Play!

To create a legendary showstopper, we crafted an action-packed story with Riot Games that is stylized with radiant energy--psychedelic and surreal--bringing anime-inspired action into a dreamscape of VALORANT imagery and lore. Highlighting five Game Changers pros from across the globe, we set out to bring their in-game personas to the forefront, turning their skill and creativity into mind-bending action with VALORANT ability easter eggs and an endless supply of pure grit. The combination of hyper-stylized visuals, kinetic action, editorial, and fearless individuality launched this campaign into the stratosphere as a showcase of the unrelenting talent and fearlessness of VALORANT Game Changers.

Credits

  • Brand Partner: Scholar

  • Story By: Riot Games, Macauley Johnson, Ana Chang

  • Creative Director: Macauley Johnson

  • Art Director: Ana Chang

  • Animation Director: Alex Bernas

  • Lead Compositor: Andrew Tan

  • CG Supervisor: Kevin Kolodinsky

  • Managing Executive Producer: Kirsten Noll

  • Executive Producer: Antonio Hardy

  • Head of Production: Nicole Smarsh

  • Senior Producer: Christina Yiallouris

  • Associate Producer: Bella Bergeron

  • Production Assistant: Jack Readman

  • Pitch Producer: Marcus Fussell

  • Lead Designer: Jina Kwon

  • Designers: Aivy Nguyen, Kiron Robinson, Cendan Claiborne, Jose Bernabe, Kyle Fewell, Siena Mae, Stephanie Stromenger, Tiago Calliari, Victorien Aubineau

  • Storyboards: Mark Yates

  • Cel Animators: Aivy Nguyen, Alex Bernas, Ana Chang, Danni Fisher-Shin, Zach Herdman, Barbara Benas, Billy Mpetha, Bruno de Mendonca, Deco Daviola, Laura Yilmaz, Michael Relth, Olivia Blanc, Romario Clarke

  • Media Manager: Adrianna McKinley

  • 3D/ Previz Animators: Han Hu, Kevin Kolodinsky, Stephen Van Wyk, Derek Friesenborg, Sarah Wolfe, Steven Dvornik

  • Compositors: Kenny Kerut, Sam Bachman, Andrew Tan, Dylan Blau, Jip Jeong

  • 2D Animators: Kiron Robinson, Zach Herdman

  • Editor: Dominic Strazulo

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  • Telecine: RCO

  • Colorist: Derrick Yuen

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  • Mix & Sound Design: Another Country

  • Mix & Sound Designer: Erik Widmark

  • Assistant: Cathryn Stark

"This is VALORANT, flipped and reimagined in a dreamlike, surreal state. With old-school gritty anime and pop movie posters as our inspiration. We wanted to push a bold, vividly colorful style. In the hero moments of the pros' successes, they glow into pop color palettes to tie in the idea that they're breaking out of the norms and into the extraordinary."

"What does it mean to be a Game Changer? This is what's at the core of this film. In a world that fights to keep them from rising to the top, these pros overcome all odds and showcase their insanely talented play. Rejecting convention, changing the game, and re-shaping the world to find their success--that's Game Changers."

Beyond the Film

Character Design

Process

"One challenge with the animation was finding character moments to help round out the players' personalities while maintaining the pace of the story. Subtle changes in their expressions as well as mixing up how each player moved through the world helped us differentiate our heroes' styles and give them a unique flair which brings their personalities to the forefront."

"We drew inspiration from the graphic cover art of Chainsaw Man and Dorohedoro to the dynamic sakuga of Akira and filled this campaign with VALORANT easter eggs as our heroes tap into in-game abilities as they traverse deconstructed level designs."