What it had to solve
Riot mixed the world's number-one esports tournament with NewJeans, the girl group that passed one billion Spotify streams faster than any artist in history — what the directors called 'one hell of a dream brief'.
The idea
The anthem video casts a real player — DRX's Deft, hero of one of the greatest LoL finals ever — as the protagonist of a 2.5D anime battle epic set to a NewJeans track.
How it works
Co-directed by Marie Hyon and HANZOHANZO for Psyop, the 2.5D-animated film places viewers at the centre of the battlefield as team DRX and Kim Hyuk-kyu (Deft) triumph. A team of self-described anime fans, NewJeans lovers and LoL addicts built it 'by the fans and for the fans', prioritising Deft's perseverance over stunts.
What it did
The film kicked off Worlds 2023 (games from 10 October through the 19 November finals). No view counts were reported; the final it dramatises is widely regarded as one of the greatest in League of Legends history.
Background
In October 2023, Riot Games released its League of Legends 2023 World Championship anthem music video, co-directed by Marie Hyon and HANZOHANZO for production company Psyop and set to a new track featuring NewJeans. Instead of invented champions, the film's hero is a real player: Kim Hyuk-kyu, better known as Deft, whose triumph with team DRX in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest finals in League of Legends history becomes the story.
The 2.5D-animated film puts the viewer at the centre of the battlefield. 'Amongst the jam packed action, what was most important for us and Riot was that the heart of Deft's journey break through it all,' said Hyon — his 'unbreakable heart', courage and perseverance. HANZOHANZO called the film 'a love letter to League of Legends players everywhere', made out of admiration for the community.
The release kicked off Worlds 2023, which ran from 10 October to the finals on 19 November.
Why it lands
It puts a real player's genuine story — knockbacks, perseverance, an 'unbreakable heart' — at the centre of a tournament promo instead of game spectacle.
The crossover is deliberate: the number-one esports event meets the fastest-streamed girl group in history, each bringing the other's audience.
Made by self-described anime fans and LoL addicts 'for the fans' — community lore treated as the campaign asset.
What you can take
A tournament promo lands when it hands the myth to a real person: an underdog player's actual story beats any fictional champion montage.
Since then
The film kicked off Worlds 2023, which ran from 10 October to the 19 November finals. No view or engagement figures were reported.
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