VALORANT Episode 4 Campaign
In a GaaS or Live Service Game, player churn is inevitable. But this doesn’t mean they won’t come back. More often than not, they’re just waiting for a signal. That’s where, in the case of VALORANT, episode campaigns come into play, and the launch of a campaign is that “mic tap,” pay attention, the act’s about to start, moment. When delivered entertainingly through storytelling that provides value on its own, it recaptures significant portions of those churned players, sparking their anticipation and excitement to engage with new content. These large marquee executions also created opportunities for VALORANT to deliver on its Unapologetically Global brand pillar, and deliver interesting, regionally resonant “Hyperlocal” tactics for players.
The CG, “Warm Up,” kicked off Episode 4. We wanted to tilt towards a slightly more humorous view of the world of VALORANT by delving into what a “practice” session looked like when viewed through the lens of the hyper-competitive and top-tier skill of the Agents. We also wanted to viscerally remind players of the VAL gameplay promise (abilities create opportunities) and that VAL is at its most fun when played as a team where those abilities can interact and enable players to come up with the creative outplays that are signature to VAL.
Unapologetically Global
Meets Hyperlocal
“Warm Up” was the players’ first look into VALORANT HQ. We wanted to represent aspects of the near-future world of VAL, so the modular “Danger-ena” training area was born (as well as our villain, MaxBot). At the same time, we wanted to show how the different agent’s personalities might affect the decor, just like in any work environment. From the outset this was an opportunity to bring the Unapologetically Global brand pillar to life. So, we collaborated with the Brazilian regional marketing team to bring a unique cultural perspective to the story. Raze and Killjoy’s shared workspace incorporated a graffiti mural by the Brazilian artist Nick Zombie, who, like the agent Raze, comes from the Brazilian state of Bahia.
This first execution, started in the CG, would kick-off a slew of tactics
known as “Agents on Leave,” in which we would work with artists, cosplayers, and creatives from regions everywhere to depict what it's like between the moments of the fight for the Agents and what gives them their spark — their favorite foods, pastimes, and vibes. Besides adding an authentic touch to the game’s narrative, Agents on Leave has consistently been a high-engagement social tactic that spawns UGC.
Pokimane and Cypher
We gifted Pokimane, the most-followed female streamer on Twitch, an exclusive chess set featured in the “Warm Up” cinematic. The set celebrates her love for chess, VALORANT, and her Moroccan heritage, akin to Cypher, the game’s Moroccan agent. Pokimane’s unscripted, heartfelt reaction captured in a brief video showcases the deep connection and appreciation between the community and the game, a testament to its commitment to its players.
Sprinting onto the Scene
Manila-born Agent, Neon, is a proud Filipina that uses her lightning fast speed to go in and catch enemies off guard. She creates space for herself, zapping if you get too close or give her shit – on or off the battlefield. As one of the first AAA video game characters from an APAC country, Neon was lauded by native filipino and other APAC region players for her authentic representation of the filipino culture, and attitude, particularly that of the younger GenZ audience.
This enthusiasm rippled out to the massive filipino diaspora as well as the broader VALORANT player base. With Neon’s introduction to the roster of agents VAL saw spikes in AGHPA and ARPU throughout the APAC player population and significant upticks in brand sentiment throughout the entire player population as well as upticks in unaided awareness amongst VAL adjacent gamers.
MaxBot Returns to Host TDM
“How about a game where the bot shoots back?” KAY/0’s thinly veiled threat at Phoenix had more foreshadowing than we could have predicted. MaxBot was so popular with players that giving him a revenge story arc and making him the villain behind the newest and most anticipated game mode, Team Death Match, was a perfect way to extend the comedic tone of “Warm Up” to the less intense TDM mode while also paying off players’ fandom for the maniacal cleaning bot.
Agents on Leave for LNY
The most resonant execution from the “Agents on Leave” campaign leveraged the release of Neon and tied it in to the Lunar New Year holiday. We worked with the APAC team to craft an illustrated story for VAL’s social channels that followed three of the agents, Neon, Jett and Sage, as they took a girl’s trip to celebrate the holiday. The story was commemorated in a special LNY in-game Event Pass.
Viper
What does a day in the life of VALORANT's most lethal scientist, and some would argue, Agent, look like? This hyper-stylized 2D animated piece depicts the extreme attention to detail that Viper applies to her daily routine and sharp-eyed players were quick to call out the subtle easter eggs that add to her persona.
Jett
For the Korean agent, Jett, it had to be a music video (with music from lIlBOI, Mirani and GroovyRoom). We follow along as Jett "drops in" on her hometown, Seoul, for a spirited run through the city as only she could do.
BEST SERVED COLD // Player Card
Execute R.V.N.G. Program // Social Media “mini-cine”
The team at Riot:
Mike Berry / Corby Deglow / Tone Hoeft / Brandon Meier / Kat Nimmervoll / Jonny Altepeter / Max Zhang / Ke Su / Drew Stauffer / James Waterson / Kim Xiong / Daniel Gouw / Anas Al Hakim
creative partners:
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