Creating Fantastical Worlds Between Virtual and Real — An Exclusive Interview with Llia Yu, Honoree of the 2025 AACYF “Top 30 Under 30 Chinese Americans”

LAPost Los Angeles, May 20, 2025 — In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the results of the 2025 “Top 30 Under 30 Chinese Americans” (AACYF Top 30 under 30) were officially announced in Los Angeles. Co-hosted by the All-American Chinese Youth Federation (AACYF) and the English-language outlet LAPost.us, the highly selective list recognizes outstanding young professionals across sectors such as high technology, sustainability, finance, and the arts. Among the honorees is Llia Yu, a former senior artist at Blizzard Entertainment, originally from Nanjing, China. Yu was recognized for her international contributions to the video game industry and her creative influence in digital art.

“I’m Llia Yu, a girl from Nanjing,” she said with a smile during an exclusive interview. “I’ve loved drawing since I was a child. When I watched Star Wars in middle school, its epic and expansive futuristic world deeply sparked my imagination. At that moment, I made a dream — to come to America, work in Hollywood, and build my own world of fantasy.”

In 2012, Llia Yu came to the United States to pursue that dream, enrolling in the Entertainment Design program at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California — widely regarded as the top program of its kind globally. After graduation, she joined Riot Games and later Blizzard Entertainment, where she contributed to the development of several major gaming titles.

From 2017 to 2024, Yu worked on Overwatch and Overwatch 2 at Blizzard, serving as one of the core producers for the sequel. She led the development of multiple in-game maps and oversaw the release of several popular character skins. One of her most iconic creations, the “Black Cat D.Va” skin, became a breakout success, selling over 10 million units and ranking as one of the most popular female character skins in the history of the game.

Notably, the Overwatch series has earned top honors at The Game Awards, the most prestigious award in the North American video game industry. Overwatch won “Game of the Year,” “Best Multiplayer Game,” and “Best Game Design” in 2016, while Overwatch 2 took home the “Best Multiplayer Game” award in 2022.

Beyond game development, Llia Yu is also active in the contemporary art scene. Her personal works have been exhibited at Nucleus Gallery, CTN Animation Expo, Photonic Playground, and Start Los Angeles. She has been invited to speak and give lectures at her alma mater Art Center College of Design, Fitchburg State University, and California Institute of the Arts. Her work has been featured in leading art publications such as ImagineFX, Visual Art Journal, and 3Dtotal.

“I want to keep building my fantasy worlds with my art and allow more people to see the infinite possibilities through my work,” said Yu. To her, art is not just a profession, but a responsibility — a bridge between imagination and reality, between culture and the human spirit.

Her selection for the AACYF Top 30 Under 30 not only affirms her professional excellence in game and visual design but also highlights the growing impact of young Asian creatives in the global cultural and creative industries.

By: Richard Ren / LAPost