Melany M. June 28, 2019
New York Excelsior support Bang “JJoNak” Seong-hyun has received a legendary Overwatch skin.
Overwatch is rewarding the inaugural Overwatch League season’s MVP with a skin for his signature hero, Zenyatta.
Arnold Tsang, assistant art director for Overwatch, and Marisa Palumbo, senior producer for Overwatch Esports, were in charge of working on the project with JJoNak.
The team took into consideration JJoNak’s fashion sense, personal preferences, and his love for octopus. The result is a one of a kind skin named Zen-Nakji.
This is the first time Overwatch has designed a skin inspired by a pro player. The challenge was to capture JJoNak’s essence in a design that worked with the existing animation limitations.
“For Zenyatta, shoulders are a tricky area because of the range of motion the hero is capable of, and there are limitations on what types of fabrics and textures can be incorporated, as well as where it can go,” said Dylan Jones, the lead character technical artist.
Zen-Nakji’s design is a combination of aquatic elements and the branding of JJoNak’s team, the New York Excelsior. Zenyatta’s metal dome was replaced by an encased pink octopus. The orbs are smaller versions of the octopus.
JJoNak and his NYXL teammates visited the Overwatch department at developer Blizzard’s main campus in California. JJoNak received a framed concept art piece drawn by David Kang.
“I think this is something I’m going to talk about with pride for my entire life. I think it’s an honor, and I’m going to be grateful for the rest of my life,” JJoNak said.
As the first player to receive both the MVP title and a legendary skin, JJoNak has been fundamental in NYXL’s success to date. The squad won Stage 2 and Stage 3 in 2018, but fell short in the season playoffs where they placed third.
NYXL is currently competing in Season 2’s third stage and is in first place with four wins and zero losses.
Zen-Nakji is currently available and will be up for purchase until July 14.