2D 3D Animation Campaign Events Motion Graphics Social Media
VALORANT Champions Tour Pacific
Client
Riot Games
Agency
Genesis Motion Design
Production
Genesis Motion Design
Year
2023
01.-
The Brief
When Riot Games approached us to embark on a journey to conceptualise and produce a host of creatives for the inaugural VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: Pacific League—we were all in.
The entire project comprised a variety of moving parts, with Genesis tasked to spearhead project management and end-to-end visual cohesiveness on all fronts. Given the tournament’s massive scale and reach, it was imperative that our ideas and creations were engaging and adaptable across all platforms, while retaining the strong identity of VALORANT that over 20M players around the globe have grown to recognise.
In-game Feature
02.-
The Approach
Our core visual concept was centred around water—paying homage to the Pacific region being united by surrounding water, unlike other international leagues (Americas and EMEA) that are geographically connected by land. The theme “Making Waves” set the visual precedence for everything from the designed environments to the fluidity of animation.
The Pacific League kicked off with ten teams from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, and culminated in the top six qualifying for the playoffs stage. This gave us two extremely pivotal points of the Pacific League to spotlight: the launch and playoffs premiere.
0+
hours over 5+ months
0+
views in 7 days (Launch Video)
0+
views in 7 days (Playoffs Premiere Video)
Key art and visuals
Animated Tagline
03.-
Environment
VALORANT is set in a futuristic technological world, and we wanted to marry that with the unique elements of the Pacific League. We designed a cyberpunk aesthetic against the backdrop of a dystopian society, weaving in low-hill terrains and a mix of high and low-rise buildings reminiscent of architecture in Asian cities like Hong Kong and Korea—specifically Seoul and Busan. In the Asia Pacific region, having steep slopes and cliffed coastlines are common due to surrounding water bodies.
Our animations supported a fictional storyline not entirely canon to the Pacific League. However, careful thought was put into integrating the wider tournament, from esports team logos and VALORANT elements subtly weaved into street signs and billboards. In the launch video announcing the Pacific League, all 10 participating teams were represented as independent districts connected to the main city by bridges. Only six districts remained brimming with life at playoffs to signal the next phase of competition.
04.-
Characters
We designed brand new characters for this cinematic, paying meticulous attention to concept, character, and art development. Our repertoire included the protagonist (Hero) and his sidekicks, along with enemy demons to represent Envy, Anger and Fear. These are powerful inner emotions that often leave one vulnerable from unlocking their best potential.
We also conceptualised Master One, key silent observer looking over our Hero as the latter overcame battle after battle—ultimately proving worthy for the final face-off with Fear (Boss Fight).
Initial concept developments
Social Stickers and GIFs
05.-
Behind the Scenes
Besides designing and adapting the key assets across platforms (broadcast interstitials, cut-downs for different social media platforms, textless versions of videos etc.), we had the immense privilege of working with East2West Entertainment and Cube Entertainment and being a part of the title track powering our animated trailer.
Mixed and mastered by Don Diablo, with vocals provided by the incredibly talented Minnie of (G)I-DLE, “Making Waves” is an empowering anthem fuelling the birth of new legends.