Riot Games Gives Underdog Story Top Spot in Epic League of Legends Worlds 2023 Promo

What do you call it when you mix the #1 esports tournament in the world with the K-Pop group that reached over one billion Spotify streams faster than any other music artist in history? Psyop directors Marie Hyon and HANZOHANZO call it ‘one hell of a dream brief’ as they rose to the challenge of co-directing Riot Games’ League of Legends 2023 World Championship anthem music video. 

Set to an all new track by Riot Games featuring juggernaut girl group, NewJeans, the 2.5D-animated film places the viewer at the centre of the battlefield as the story of team DRX and esports hero Kim Hyuk-kyu (김혁규), better known as Deft, triumph over the competition in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest finals in League of Legends history. 

“The film is a beautiful collaboration with Riot who created such an amazing story. The Psyop team on this were quite literally an amalgamation of mega anime fans, NewJeans lovers, and LoL addicts," explains Hyon. “We were all so honoured to celebrate a young player as the protagonist of his own story - you just can’t get better than that.” 

Wielding HANZOHANZO’s innate passion for gaming and Hyon’s tact for emotional storytelling, the film’s impact can be attributed to something far deeper than the stunts alone. 

“Amongst the jam packed action in this film, what was most important for us and Riot was that the heart of Deft’s journey break through it all”, says Hyon in respect to the deeply genuine core that grounds the foundation of the film's narrative. “We had our goals set on building an artistic, elevated expression of his story’s most powerful truths -  emphasising his unbreakable heart, his courage to fight on despite getting knocked back and having the conviction and perseverance to never give up.“ 

HANZOHANZO considers the film a love letter to League of Legends players everywhere. 

“This is a story that resonates with all of us and it carries so much weight within the League of Legends community”, he states adding to his notion that this film was made by the fans and for the fans. “We can all relate to that struggle and grind. This project was born out of admiration for the fans and players who make it all possible.” 

The release of this long-awaited rallying cry kicks off the event and sends the season into full swing with Worlds 2023 games beginning October 10th and carrying through to the finals on November 19th.