We make a set of World Championship skins every year,
and they've always been what a pro looks like.
That's how we headed into 2016.
When the skins hit PBE,
the reaction from our players demonstrated
that our understanding of what these skins mean
and how they should be created, was off.
We made 5 skins, and not 6.
We weren't counting Easyhoon's contribution as a sub.
We didn't use the colors that SKT actually wore at Worlds.
Doing Sivir, instead of Kalista.
"Wait a minute. Don't the pros get to choose?"
"Isn't that part of the ceremony?"
It was one of those things where
the most obvious choice would've been
put out a piece to players, let them know that we'd messed up
really acknowledge where we messed up
so that they knew that we'd heard them
and then just move on, and do better next time.
We made the decision to pull the skins,
and then rework them.
The recall animations, the change of the color,
making sure that the pros themselves were represented in the skins.
That was a step in the right direction.
"Plus, we got Faker's Ryze!"
Coming out of last year,
players are going to want something really good.
SK Telecom have overcome every challenge!
I don't think we get a do-over this year,
so I think we're going into it knowing
we have to pretty much hit it on the first try.
SKT came to Riot the day after Worlds
and the goal was, we would interview
and seek to understand more about their personalities.
and also, what type of thematics they may be interested in
so we could go about making a different take
on what those skins could be for the following year.
Do they have any questions for us, as League developers
and things they want to see?
Or in general, just anything they're curious about?
When I think of SKT skins,
I think of the wings, red, and orange. Like the logo.
I think her general feel should be dark and like an empress.
Getting the feeling of appearing stronger when you use the skin.
Cool. It has to look cool and elaborate.
I hope that it'll be a bright and happy skin.
He takes a piece out of himself, and eats it.
- His own body? - Yes.
Towards the end of the animation, an icy effect comes up from the ground...
I'd really like for it to have armor like a knight from the Middle Ages.
I think it'll be okay for the artists to do what they want with that.
Please put in the wings.
For this year, we wanted to make SKT skins a bit different from before.
We tried to incorporate as much as possible from what the players said.
So, esports but not usual esports skins.
High fantasy.
Ceremonious.
Uh, warriors.
Our goal is to have players feel like
we successfully combined them into a cool skin
that whether or not you're into esports, they're good-looking skins.
If they came out and
people found that they were not excited about them
or, if we just did the same thing
that we always do - I think that'd be a failure.
So, for Syndra specifically
you want to go for something that feels very queenly, empress, dark.
So. So right off the bat
these are pushing a little bit into Justicar Syndra territory,
which is one of her launch skins.
The hardest part about the 2016 Worlds skins
has been inventing a new thematic.
Fantasy is all over League of Legends already.
So, how do you make a esports, high fantasy inspired skins
that isn't just knights in armor?
Have you seen his launch skin?
The color scheme's almost the same.
Oh. Shit.
Instead of having it, like, be more wing-shaped...
Bang wants wings, though. He said he wanted wings like 10 times.
This one, he's actually got wings stuck into his back.
Whereas on these ones...
just metal, you know, representations of wings.
The middle and right execution
will not maintain that shape in any of his animations.
We had a lot of conversations around
"What would Zac armor look like?"
and, "How's it going to stretch, how's it going to look in game?"
That's when a 3D artist can come in and be like,
let me make a quick model. Get it in game,
and then we can discover together if it' s going to work.
There will have to be adjustments.
- Yeah. - I mean, you can see now how he is in idle
- when he runs, they like pitch in. - Yeah, they go in.
This kind of collaboration that happens
is where all the magic kinda happens
because no team member can kind of, do it alone.
I think it'd be a disservice to any individual skin to have it siloed.
What if it will be... not the capsule with a crystal
Like the Nami. Like the thing orbiting around it?
- And- - Like this thing going around it?
As the concept artists finished up their respective
designs for the champions,
we're going to see how the SKT guys like them.
Hopefully they're not disappointed.
Thank you for taking some time out of your practice.
We've again made commemorative skins this year
and we'll be revealing the images for the first time here today.
- Wow. - Is this one a ward skin?
This one's for commemorating Coach Kkoma.
A ward skin for Coach.
Don't they seem like that?
Those mid-tier bosses in those online games.
This is you, Coach, wearing headphones and holding your notepad.
It even has a red necktie.
Wow, it's all over for you guys. The ward skin's...
- Wow. - Whoa, hold on a second.
His hair is pretty cool.
He looks like he has chicken hair, rooster hair.
Hairstyle good!
Ah, if Ekko ults and there's a T1 that appears...
That'd be really cool. There's the circle that appears.
- Like on his W. - The circle.
- Wow, that'd be cool. - The dome thing, a T1 dome.
At the time, you asked for something like frost falling beneath Syndra.
- And, well... Bang, you requested wings. - Ah, yes.
The wings aren't on the model as it is right now,
But during Curtain Call, I'd also want something.
Like frost falling when Syndra uses R, even if it's only during Curtain Call
I'd like it to be fantasy-like, with wings unfurling.
So even though SKT liked the skins,
we still have a lot of work to do.
Lots of things we have to address still.
Uh, SKT's feedback. That'll be one of the next big things for us.
So originally when he said he wanted wings,
that's kind of the way I designed the shoulder piece.
He wants wings that actually extend.
Our solution is, we made some actual wings
that can spawn from him during this moment.
I'm going to turn them into something more gold,
a little more magical looking.
I think that we still have some polish to go to make sure that
when it ships, it'll hit the quality level that we're looking for.
But I think it's going to be a really good solution.
I'm looking forward to that moment
where like, I'm running around in game
and somebody picks SKT Syndra.
Or just when Zac just comes flying out of the jungle,
like "Ugh, I just got ganked by SKT Zac. "
I'm hoping that by putting as much as we can into them,
players have high hopes for next year.
Asking themselves,
"Oh, what are they gonna do for next year for whoever wins?"
Will it be a challenge for the Skins team to continue making Worlds skins?
Yes. It absolutely will be a challenge.
Every person is different.
Every player is different, their personalities are different.
Their accomplishments are different.
Again, it goes back to the importance
of the skins as commemorative elements
of the highest level of competitive League play.