LOCUS Animation Studio has announced an October theatrical release in South Korea for Guardians of the Video Game, an animated film adapted from Gasfard's webtoon of the same name. The studio, known for Red Shoes and The Priest, is handling production.

The film centers on Patch, a top agent at the Guardians of the Video Game Corporation who keeps digital worlds running smoothly. When office politics tank his promotion, Patch gets reassigned to the Classic Games department—considered a dead end. Determined to prove himself, he enters the 8-bit game Legend of the Dragon Sword to prevent it from being permanently shut down.

The webtoon source material is a heavyweight in the digital comics space. Originally serialized from 2014 to 2021, it accumulated 340 million views globally and maintains a 9.98 average rating on WEBTOON. The film adaptation takes the webtoon's game-world setting and reimagines it through a hybrid visual approach: 3D animation layered with pixel-art aesthetics that honor the retro-game feel of the story.

LOCUS Animation Studio's track record suggests a solid foundation for the adaptation. The studio has built credibility with both Red Shoes and The Priest, giving fans reason to trust the team's execution. A launch poster and trailer are already available, offering early looks at how the studio plans to blend classic pixel graphics with contemporary animation techniques.

The October release window places the film squarely in fall's competitive theatrical slate in South Korea. For fans unfamiliar with the webtoon, the English version is available to read on WEBTOON, making it easy to catch up before the film hits theaters.

The premise taps into a nostalgia vein that resonates with both longtime gamers and people drawn to stories about preserving obsolete technology—a surprisingly common theme in recent animated storytelling. Whether the film will expand beyond South Korean theaters remains unannounced for now.