Client: Riot Games

Agency: Rosewood Creative

Role: Associate Production Director

Year: 2026

To start the new season, VALORANT released a new cinematic that gave casual players and the OG lore fans A LOT to talk about and look out for the rest of the season. But the cinematic was actually the finale of the Start of Year campaign following a series of Instagram Story’s Close Friends videos → Instagram feed posts → crash out tweets on X → a 6-hour snake stream that got fans staying up until 7 AM PST to find out what’s going on. It was there at the end of the livestream, where the WHY WE FIGHT BACK // Season 2026 Cinematic Kickoff Trailer was first revealed.

This social takeover campaign garnered millions of views, thousands of tweets, and hundreds of memes in just 72 hours.

VALORANT Start of Year social takeover

It's currently 2am in CA and Valorant is just streaming a snake video with this title. They're so ominous and I don't think I would have ever predicted them committing this much to their storytelling. I might actually cry tears of joy riot games i love the world you're building pic.twitter.com/EbbZXg01HM
— nyx // 麗雅 🥟 (@rnyxff) January 5, 2026

My baby is tweaking 😭 #valorant #viper pic.twitter.com/uIlab3s1Kk
— kin 😺 (@nearsisa) January 5, 2026

https://t.co/P7tkYs0BIU pic.twitter.com/bfzAbwKHwr
— G R E E N (@poocheglazic) January 5, 2026

FUCKING YES
— gordinho mete e cansa (@pdraokkj) January 5, 2026

It's Viper, bitch pic.twitter.com/zK96rqh49w
— G2 VALORANT (@G2VALORANT) January 5, 2026

study with me❤❤🐍🐍🗿🗿 #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/8tAb9SzC3z
— Ryo🧡💙 (@luwrzy) January 5, 2026

brimstone I'm watching your stream why you tryin not to laugh bro that's disrespectful as sh*t bruh https://t.co/ISLhsCIlDo pic.twitter.com/sBrgUQ6ZUd
— FNATIC (@FNATIC) January 5, 2026

COMMUNITY reactions

Twitch Chat’s live reactions to the final reveal of the Start of Year Trailer!

three hours have passed and i finally decided to maybe see what type of a snake that is. i think its an emerald tree boa judging by the white spots on the back. interesting fact! theyre non venomous! https://t.co/upx2YltU3m pic.twitter.com/MtFVoJqNJE
— solar semi mia (@sososolars) January 5, 2026

what's my ex doing on Brimstone's head?? https://t.co/dDWI7g5XPl pic.twitter.com/D7JtxV0tHE
— FUT Esports (@FUTesportsgg) January 5, 2026

What is going on? Why there is so many posts about Viper? 😅#Valorant
— Liquid nAts (@nAts__ss) January 5, 2026

IT’S BEEN OVER TWO HOURS IM STILL WATCHING#valorant https://t.co/P5AQnOX8RD pic.twitter.com/MvDQbZ6Ynl
— ZENITH (@STELLACADENTI) January 5, 2026

So excited for the lore but also the official Valorant tweeting like me on my private account has me crying https://t.co/CnGBtQ6B8f
— nyx // 麗雅 🥟 (@rnyxff) January 4, 2026

valorant twitch chat is cracking me up right now pic.twitter.com/oqjM19coXy
— JENJENJAAA (@imjenjenjaaa) January 5, 2026