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ok so since i think it's been about a year since i did my original thread about these guys, and i like to think i've now gotten better at researching and reading mandarin, so.
let's actually talk about King of Glory's boyband WXWZ.
let's actually talk about King of Glory's boyband WXWZ.
1. WHAT IS KING OF GLORY
King of Glory/王者荣耀 is a MOBA developed by Timi Games and published by Tencent. most notably it's currently China's highest earning mobile MOBAs, especially among women, and is said to be the big push that gave Tencent the confidence to make Wild Rift
King of Glory/王者荣耀 is a MOBA developed by Timi Games and published by Tencent. most notably it's currently China's highest earning mobile MOBAs, especially among women, and is said to be the big push that gave Tencent the confidence to make Wild Rift
the basic premise of the game is... think if the Fate/ franchise was a MOBA. every character in this game is a hot anime version of a historical or mythological figure, most of them from Chinese history and culture.
despite being very profitable it doesn't generally have a good reputation among Chinese players because it's seen as a knock-off of League--basically how we feel about something like Mobile Legends. this, uh, will be important later.
2. THE BOY BAND
in 2018 Riot released K/DA and... well i don't need to tell you about the impact K/DA had on the industry. but shortly after that KoG dropped a promo post about the "KD idol group", which was just intended to be a pun on the two characters on promo.
in 2018 Riot released K/DA and... well i don't need to tell you about the impact K/DA had on the industry. but shortly after that KoG dropped a promo post about the "KD idol group", which was just intended to be a pun on the two characters on promo.
of course everyone knew this was shade at k/da and mocked them pretty hard on social media for it, but it eventually died down.
so when this teaser image showed up in the client in the middle of 2019 people again thought it was a joke. but... it wasn't.
so when this teaser image showed up in the client in the middle of 2019 people again thought it was a joke. but... it wasn't.
a few days later came the official announcement. WXWZ or 无限王者团 was going to be a Real Band with Real Songs and Real Sponsorships.
people were mixed on this; fans loved it, league players thought they were copying k/da, others didnt like that they were based on real people.
people were mixed on this; fans loved it, league players thought they were copying k/da, others didnt like that they were based on real people.
remember, KoG's premise is that all of its characters are based on historical figures. it would be like having the Founding Fathers form a boy band--except less funny, since Chinese culture places a lot of importance on ancestor worship and respecting history.
though people had concerns, the company went ahead and debuted the group's first single Wake Me Up in May.
by the way, the suits they're wearing in this illustration are a collab with Thom Browne. this was a BIG deal.
by the way, the suits they're wearing in this illustration are a collab with Thom Browne. this was a BIG deal.
this was May of 2019, way before we had True Damage x Louis Vuitton, let alone the massive social media campaign that Riot launched with K/DA All Out. they kept rolling out songs and made sure the boys were literally everywhere with product deals and magazine appearances.
btw if you like boys wearing lipstick you should watch the music video they did for the MAC campaign, js
interesting to note that i can't find evidence of these being made into in-game skins, like no game models or gameplay footage, so this could just be a huge publicity campaign that isn't directly advertising anything in-game, just the brand as a whole.
another thing they may have pioneered before K/DA are the "behind-the-scenes photos". they aren't making as much of an effort as K/DA to make these seem realistic at all, but it's interesting that the idea is there.
PART 3: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
after their 2019 debut they released an EP in 2020 called Ripple, which honestly kind of slaps. i'm not a music person so i can't talk about how they improved exactly, but i like their 2020 music better than their 2019 stuff.
after their 2019 debut they released an EP in 2020 called Ripple, which honestly kind of slaps. i'm not a music person so i can't talk about how they improved exactly, but i like their 2020 music better than their 2019 stuff.
since then i don't think they've released anything for 2021, though they did drop these "photos" in March. though since Ripple was released as an anniversary EP and they first debuted in May of 2019, they might have something in the works for May of 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUhXWnjRweHseYMNvjcEiws1hOGHuSbHm
here's a playlist to all their music if you're curious, i don't think any of it is subbed though
here's a playlist to all their music if you're curious, i don't think any of it is subbed though
wtf these guys had a collaboration with givenchy? kda is shaking
4. CLOSING THOUGHTS
if you were to ask me what my opinions of them are, id say i think theyre an interesting part of game history. i wouldn't be surprised if All Out took some cues from them, since that campaign was also heavily marketed to Chinese players.
if you were to ask me what my opinions of them are, id say i think theyre an interesting part of game history. i wouldn't be surprised if All Out took some cues from them, since that campaign was also heavily marketed to Chinese players.
personal favourite songs from them:
i think that's where i'll leave this thread for now, ill probably come back to it in May if/when they release anything new
also tencent i still want my advertising cheques pls and thank u
also tencent i still want my advertising cheques pls and thank u
+ found this thread of HD "photos" they did for Elle, happy simpin
https://www.zcool.com.cn/work/ZNTIwNTQzODQ=.html
https://www.zcool.com.cn/work/ZNTIwNTQzODQ=.html
