April 20, 2025

【Making】「PLAYERS」 Episode 2: Characters and Monsters

Recently, PlayStation Japan celebrated its 30th anniversary by releasing a song titled “PLAYERS” in collaboration with the iconic Japanese J-POP artist duo “YOASOBI,” unveiling a large-scale project.

This project brought together 30 creators from around the world, each showcasing their own games to create a single music video. All 30 creators were a diverse group, including graphic artists, animators, and others deeply inspired by gaming culture.

The nostalgic game graphic works and the lyrics of “One More Time! (mou ittkai ! )” resonated deeply with players who never gave up despite countless game overs, as well as gamers who have spent 30 years with PlayStation, filling their hearts with emotion.

Among them was the Korean creative group “Azikazin Magic World,”

which has recently gained attention in Korea for its unique approach, blending games, characters, and music videos, as well as combining live music performance videos with games.

Text/Photos by Azikazin Editorial Team

——

“PLAYERS” Making Interview

Episode 2: Characters and Monsters

Deform version of Sotai. Illustration by Lionclad, 3D Modeling & Animation by Lee Sungmoon.

Editorial Team

I heard that the protagonist of the video is ‘Sotai,’ the character created for PlayStation’s 30th anniversary. Unlike the Sotai seen on the ‘PLAYERS’ album cover, this version seems adapted for the game. Did Lionclad handle the character design here?

Lionclad

The Sotai created by the Tsuribu Tokyo team had a clean, sophisticated, urban vibe. In contrast, we aimed for a casual feel, so we adjusted the head-to-body ratio to nearly 1:1. To emphasize an adventurous atmosphere, we replaced the clip-shaped hairpin with goggles and puffed up the neck and sleeves to give it a collar-like feel reminiscent of Klonoa’s protagonist. We simplified the eyes and nose in Azikazin’s style and kept individuality by highlighting details like eyelashes.

Editorial Team

The monster design was intriguing too. Can you tell us about the process behind its creation?

Lionclad

I first imagined a situation like a narrow bridge where the player can’t escape. I thought it’d be fun if a monster came rolling in, so I came up with a round, vague-faced creature that didn’t look like anything from this world, designed to roll toward you.

Lee Sungmoon

However, since the video was only 3 seconds long, there wasn’t enough time to show a rolling animation, so we simplified it to a trudging, walking style.

Jujubee Overdrive-Form. Copyright ⓒ 2025 AZIKAZIN MAGIC WORLD all rights reserved.

Editorial Team

Jujubee, who follows Sotai around like a fairy, really stands out. It seems Jujubee’s appearance has been altered to fit the game too.

Lionclad

That’s right. We added the ancient Chinese character ‘비 (飛, fly)’ to its head and designed the eyebrows like wings to give it a fairy-like feel. We emphasized its round, cute look while highlighting its flying trait.

Editorial Team

What role does Jujubee play in the game?

Lee Sungmoon

Jujubee follows Sotai like a pet and attacks monsters when Sotai gives the command. We initially thought of flashy attack motions like sonic waves or energy beams for Jujubee, but due to the 3-second time limit and the need for Sotai to stand out as the protagonist, we went with a simple yet clear body slam.

「PLAYERS」 mv ~ Part of Azikazin Magic World

Editorial Team

Sotai was collecting musical note items, and it seems like Azikazin uses musical notes a lot.

Lionclad

Just placing a musical note next to someone makes them look happy—it gives off a positive, joyful vibe. Since the video is short, we needed to quickly convey the ‘fun’ of the game, so we decided to use musical notes again this time.

Lee Sungmoon

Yes, so we designed it so that collecting the notes and the attack would flow naturally within 3 seconds. We wanted to keep it simple but leave a strong impression.

Editorial Team

Sungmoon, you handled all the 3D animation. Were there any difficulties in translating Lionclad’s 2D designs into 3D?

Lee Sungmoon

I started by taking the existing Sotai modeling file, removing the body, and keeping just the head, then worked from Lion’s concept art. Since there’s a big gap between the imagination of 2D and the reality of 3D, I kept communicating with Lion to refine the model and animation in detail.

Lionclad

Sungmoon has an amazing sense for animation. Even when I explain things vaguely, he perfectly brings the movements I imagined to life, which makes the work so much easier.

2D to 3D Modeling Process, by Lee Sungmoon

Editorial Team

Kiho, how did you feel seeing the team’s work?

Kiho

I was really satisfied. The characters, monsters, and backgrounds all aligned perfectly with the direction I wanted.

Lionclad

Kiho set such a clear direction that we could work quickly. After that, we could understand each other and move forward even with rough explanations.

Episode 3, , to be continued.

April 21, 2025
【Making】「PLAYERS」 Episode 3: Development for 3 Seconds

April 20, 2025
【Making】「PLAYERS」 Episode 2: Characters and Monsters

April 19, 2025
【Making】「PLAYERS」 Episode 1: The Game I’d Want to Erase My Memory to Play Again

April 17, 2025
News of Participation in the PlayStation® 30th Anniversary YOASOBI Collaboration Project

8 comments

도레핀 마을의 특촬물 전문 관찰자

최고네…

April 21, 2025 at 11:57 am Reply
도레핀 마을의 물총을 좋아하는 관찰자

재밌다 ㄷㄷ

April 21, 2025 at 7:21 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 사랑스러운 관찰자

기분이🎶저절로🎶좋아지는🎶마법의🎶음표

April 21, 2025 at 8:00 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 늦잠꾸러기

너무 귀엽고 재밌어요!! 보고있으면 저도 재밌는걸 만들고싶어져요~~

April 22, 2025 at 4:46 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 물총을 좋아하는 관찰자

진짜 게임의 일부 같아요

April 23, 2025 at 1:17 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 요구르트에 진심인 관찰자

Great model!

May 7, 2025 at 12:30 am Reply
도레핀 마을의 비밀을 알고 관찰자

모두들.. 멋집니다

May 20, 2025 at 5:47 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 오늘 막 하늘에서 떨어진 관찰자

모두 능력의 합이 대단하신 것 같아요.

June 24, 2025 at 12:58 am Reply