Why do neon and Zeri look the same?

Why do neon and Zeri look alike?

Neon, the Filipino agent in the popular online multiplayer first-person shooter game Valorant, and Zeri, a champion in the free-to-play online multiplayer game League of Legends, have an intriguing similarity – they appear similar in terms of physical features. Both characters boast spiky, neon blue and pink hairstyles, radiant bright blue eyes, and glowing blue lines on their temples. But what caused the striking resemblance between them?

Shared Design Principle:

Ricccou, a gameplay engineer at Riot Games, clarified that both Neon and Zeri were designed as distinct characters, but were informed by similar design principles [1].

While Neon is a relatively younger character, Zeri arrived on the scene only three years after Neon, thanks to a collaboration between game developers [1, 2].

Before diving deeper into design history, it’s fascinating to explore some of Neon and Zeri’s basic abilities and backgrounds.

Battle Style and Backstory

For those who are acquainted with both games, know-how that Neon brings speed, agility, relying on swift movements as it dashes, dodges obstacles, and attacks within his range, while possessing both short-range physical powers like punches (1) as well for extended-range shooting (in specific situations, like engaging adversaries at the distance that aren’t moving) that aren’t available in traditional matches. The Filipino gaming ace, a speedster, is known for staying very close to his pursuer, creating a significant delay between firing and disbanding shots.

It shouldn’t come as shock but that, just on the flip side, as Zeri, both physically and technically, have taken a new path on being a very agile ally team player and a fierce antagonist (2-24). Like Neon within Valorant, but differing from their own way more aggressive battle style.

• Teamplay ally. Both Zeri – and their allies together.

How did a concept like "Neon with Zeri" unfold through the world of virtual platforms?