In a media briefing on June 18, Riot Games officially unveiled the commemorative skins celebrating T1’s victory at the 2025 LoL World Championship. The skin line, which honors the team’s historic three-peat across Seoul, London, and Chengdu, features ‘Ascended Warriors’ as its core concept and consists of six skins: Seraphine (Keria), Miss Fortune and Nilah (Gumayusi), Galio (Faker), Xin Zhao (Oner), and Ambessa (Doran).
The briefing covered the development background, art concepts, and in-game implementation, followed by a 25-minute Q&A session. Attendees included Sarah Carmody (Senior Manager, Creative Direction), Yui Nguyen (Art Director), Jeffrey Chan (Lead Concept Artist), and Jesse Bandy (Product Manager), who shared behind-the-scenes stories regarding the production process, player requests, and color design.
In the Yu Nara skin, the weapon’s prayer beads are represented by T1’s mascot, ‘Ahti’. The beads appear with different effects for each skill, including Q and W, as well as basic attacks. Since these are not standard spheres but Ahti models, it seems the difficulty of implementing these effects would have been quite high. Were there any challenges during the process?
“ As you mentioned, it was indeed a tricky task. Fortunately, the mascot Ahti has a round shape, and the prayer beads on Yu Nara are also spherical, so they fit together well. Thanks to that, we were able to apply them naturally without significantly altering the base form. The difficulty wasn’t as high as we had feared.
Q. Since Doran joined T1 in 2025, this must have been the development team’s first collaboration with him on a championship skin. You mentioned some of Doran’s requests during the Ambessa skin production; are there any other memorable anecdotes from the process?
“ Collaborating with Doran was a truly enjoyable experience, and I could personally feel his immense passion for creating his first championship skin. While it was somewhat difficult to visualize his specific requirements, we gradually identified what he wanted through several rounds of sketching back and forth.
From the beginning, Doran clearly wanted a hairstyle reminiscent of a lion’s mane. We refined the specific design of the outfit together as we progressed. He also requested a darker skin tone to give the character a more intense and edgy feel. These details combined to create the strong, fierce Ambessa we have today.
Q. It must be difficult to come up with a new concept every time a team wins three years in a row. What differentiators did you aim for while working on the last three T1 championship skins? I am also curious about how the design process itself has changed over time, especially compared to older skins like the 2015 SKT T1 Azir skin.
“ It is a unique challenge and a fun creative task at the same time. Above all, it helped that the T1 players themselves knew this process wasn’t easy. The players provided many useful ideas during the collaboration, which allowed us to discover new elements each time.
In terms of themes, we definitely attempted clear differentiation. The 2023 World Championship skins were motivated by Korean deities for a more elevated feel, while the 2024 skins pursued an intense, dark atmosphere like a ‘Dark Knight.’ This year, we established our visual direction based on the ‘Ascended Warriors’ theme. By changing the theme every year, we were able to create distinct skins.
Regarding the design process itself, the essence of any concept art remains the same. We start with a broad range of ideas and continue to develop them to reach the final result; there hasn’t been a major change in this flow.
The development team’s sense for detail really stood out in how the players’ signature elements were revealed, such as Doran’s Stoneback and Oner’s jacket. I understand that you try to reflect all player requests when creating championship skins; were there any requests that you ultimately could not include in this process?
“ I believe we reflected almost every request. If I had to pick one, it would be a part of Faker’s request. He asked for the sky background to be made larger when Galio takes flight, as if he were floating in space. However, making it too large would have obstructed the in-game view. We had to find an appropriate size, so we couldn’t include the massive sky background Faker wanted. Faker fully understood and accepted this for the sake of the gameplay experience.
Another instance occurred during the very early concept stage. Doran asked if we could make Ambessa look younger, but we couldn’t accommodate that. The identity of a ‘League of Legends’ champion must be maintained. It is a principle not to change the inherent identity of each champion, such as their age or appearance.
Q. Compared to past skins, these seem to have a more complex color design. Is there a reason you chose multiple theme colors? Also, since there are already many T1 championship skins, were there any difficulties in selecting new theme colors?
“Regarding the complexity of the colors, all the players had a similar direction in terms of their general preferences. However, there were differences in their specific tastes—some preferred brighter tones, while others preferred darker ones.
We pondered how to maintain consistency while incorporating these different preferences into a single skin line. Ultimately, we were able to include them all, and we are quite satisfied with the result.
By ensuring that we had the flexibility to highlight each player’s personality, such as using more white for Miss Fortune and more black for Ambessa, we were able to ensure that they all harmonize as a single set when viewed together.
Sarah Carmody, you have been working on T1 championship skins for three years. Among those you have worked on, which one is the most memorable or your favorite, and why?
“ I have been involved in the championship skin work for the past two years, excluding 2023. My most memorable and favorite skins are definitely the MVP skin lines.
I particularly enjoyed working on Faker’s Sylas skin from last year. It was my first time working on an MVP skin, and it was a very rewarding experience because it involved direct communication with Faker and the T1 team.
This year, Gumayusi’s Miss Fortune is also an MVP skin. It has been a fascinating creative challenge to strike a balance where it stands out from other skins while still fitting in with the overall line. That’s why I feel a strong attachment to it.
Coach Tom’s ward skin is intriguing as it follows the Kkoma ward skin in featuring the coaching staff. However, while the Kkoma ward skin had a more human-like appearance, Coach Tom’s ward skin resembles a cat, possibly inspired by Tom from ‘Tom and Jerry.’ Was this cat form a personal request or an idea from the development team?
“ First and foremost, the Kkoma ward skin wasn’t strictly human-like either. At the time, we drew inspiration from a cute hamster mascot, and this time, we continued that spirit by creating a cat.
We did not refer to ‘Tom and Jerry’ at all; our goal was to design a cat that resembled our own Coach Tom. We crafted the skin as a cat with features reminiscent of him, including his hairstyle and the fact that he wears headphones. This ward skin was created as a tribute to Coach Tom, the mastermind behind crucial victories, and was reimagined with the concept of a ‘magic cat and strategist.’ The book the cat is holding features an image of Dr. Mundo, paying homage to the pivotal moment when Coach Tom instructed Oner to select Dr. Mundo. Even in small details like the ward, we included these Easter eggs.
Q. It seems like the scope of the Worlds championship skin work expands every year. Are there any unique aspects compared to regular skin production in terms of staff, time, or other factors?
“ It’s great to hear that you perceive the scale growing each year. However, we actually maintain a consistent staff size annually.
This year, we incorporated some additional elements due to the team’s historic three-peat, but in a typical year, we approach the production with the same level of dedication and investment. The main distinction lies in the collaboration with the team. The direct communication with players and the collaborative creation process is what sets Worlds championship skins apart from regular skins.
Q. Lastly, is there anything you would like to convey to the LCK fans, T1 fans, and esports enthusiasts eagerly awaiting the release?
“As mentioned earlier, we have embedded numerous Easter eggs in these skins, which were discussed with the T1 players. The developers dedicated a lot of time to them, and as fans ourselves, we sprinkled enjoyable elements throughout. I hope you uncover them one by one while using the skins.
One of the best ways to show support for your favorite team and players is by acquiring these skins. I am eager to witness the players’ reactions when they get to use them. These skins hold a special place for us as developers and esports enthusiasts. Being involved in something you are passionate about is a truly remarkable experience. I want to express my gratitude for the insightful questions today, and I hope both fans and players anticipate the release of these skins.
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