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MARCH 22, 2021, TiMi Studios, the world’s premier global mobile development studio, announced today that it is working with luxury brand Burberry to create two exclusive skins for Honor of Kings. Burberry chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci designed both skins for the massively-popular multiplayer modern-fantasy battle game title’s popular heroine Yao. This is Tisci’s first foray into design for a video game.
This collaboration centers around the “Spirit of Nature,” drawing on Burberry and TiMi’s long-standing exploration of the relationship between humans and nature. The fashion house’s affinity to the outdoors links harmoniously with the character Yao, who takes the form of a deer and embodies the spirit of nature. Burberry’s signature gabardine, pioneered by founder Thomas Burberry and designed to protect the wearer against the elements, fits seamlessly with Yao, who personifies the role of a protector for her teammates.
Honor of Kings, which set a world record with 100 million average daily users in November of 2020, has offered a new place of discovery for the Burberry community to engage with Burberry product and house codes in a unique interactive experience. Each exclusive skin is inspired by Burberry house codes as reinterpreted by Tisci and seamlessly blend the physical and digital worlds. Yao’s ‘Spirit of Nature’ new skin draws upon Burberry’s rich heritage and includes references to the iconic House check, the trench coat, and the Thomas Burberry Monogram. This skin draws upon each of these iconic Burberry hallmarks and reinvents them for a modern look that reflects Yao’s strong, dynamic and adventurous character. Yao’s transformation into a deer with the ‘Spirit of Nature’ skin takes on a mirrored form, drawing upon Tisci’s fascination with the concept of duality and the creativity found in two perspectives.
Through Yao’s ‘Spirit of The Forest & Ocean’ Legend skin, Burberry is also expanding the popular ‘Legend’ skin line in Honor of Kings by using one of its runways looks from the Spring/Summer 2021 collection ‘In Bloom.’ This collection is inspired by the concepts of regeneration, dynamic youth, and reconnecting with nature. Yao’s look draws upon the collection’s mythical marine references and features a warm royal blue collarless trench coat and a crystal-embroidered vest. When Yao transforms into a deer, her crystal body pulsates blue light.
This high fashion collaboration with Burberry is a first for Honor of Kings and demonstrates the growing cultural relevance of the Honor of Kings brand. It also continues the trend of exciting co-created content in the game. Honor of Kings offers a profound and inclusive ecosystem for partners and their brands to participate in an authentic manner. The creativity sparked through these partnerships has generated expansive value for players, partners, and Honor of Kings.
The exclusive Burberry skins will be available to purchase for all Honor of Kings players in mainland China. The skins will then remain part of the players’ permanent collection. Besides that, Honor of Kings also cooperates with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to launch the “Spirit of Nature Guardian Program”. This program will aid in the protection of the natural habitats of Milu deer, reflecting the relationship between humanity and nature with concrete action.
QUOTES
“I am excited to see how technology has found a way to build and nurture the core human needs of personal and emotional connections. Honor of Kings has created an incredible digital world where we can find a new way to dream with our Burberry community. The power of creativity is that it can open spaces and push boundaries, and I am so excited to have designed exclusive skins that will bring Burberry house codes into this immersive universe.”
-Riccardo Tisci, Chief Creative Officer at Burberry-
“The story of the heroine Yao represents Honor of Kings’ eastern reflections on the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature, which also coincides harmoniously with Burberry’s exploration of that relationship. The combination of the eastern and western creative concepts is an important cornerstone of this collaboration. Looking forward, we hope our co-created works can bring more users surprise and delight.”
-Colin Yao, Vice President of Tencent and President of TiMi Studios-
“Burberry has always had a spirit of adventure. Partnering with Honor of Kings feels like a natural step up for our move into gaming, going beyond our in-house games by bringing the Burberry universe into an established environment. By allowing our Chinese customers to explore virtual products through the medium of online games, we can connect with our communities in a way that really resonates with them. It has been fantastic to work so closely with Tencent to bring this new customer experience to life.”
Josie Zhang, President of Burberry China
