This is Netflix’s animated event series. Arcane concludes this Saturday, with the broadcast of the last episodes of its second season. Located in the universe of League of Legendsit achieves the feat of taking spectators into a rich narrative framework, from a universe that is certainly vast, but better known for being the scene of the biggest e-sport game in the world – or of teenagers who insult through chat.
The plot of the series is set in Piltover, a town with a vague air of retro-futuristic Paris, which hides in its underground passages a parallel society, Zaun, where the poorest citizens live. It features several original characters, as well as familiar faces from gamers. League of Legendsin the front row Vi and Jinx, two sisters separated by fate.
“I wanted to tell the real lives of the characters”
The choice of this universe, quite unknown even to gamers, could have been off-putting. “The biggest challenge was building characters that people could identify with, characters that we would want to follow,” explains Christien Linke, showrunner and creative director at Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends. Once we had our duo, we knew that their universal and strong relationship would allow us to take the spectators on the adventure. »
The result is thus capable of satisfying the less informed public as well as the most hardcore players, thanks to a few winks. “Fans of the game had expectations, but did not want a copy of the game, which does not tell a story,” continues Christian Linke. So we designed a story that anyone could get involved in, without knowing anything about it. League of Legends. Et Arcane also appealed to big fans because it tells the story of the characters’ lives when they’re not fighting. I wanted to tell the real lives of the characters: what scares them? What makes them feel good? What are their dreams, their habits, their way of living? »
Conversely, Riot Games also tried to include the series Arcane in its games, in the form of cosmetic items or events. For season 2, a character exclusive to the series, Ambessa, even joins the ranks of playable characters in League of Legends.
Other adaptations in preparation
This is not the first time that the studio has tried to bring this universe to life. In 2013, Riot tried its hand at multimedia, publishing a musical clip – already around the character of Jinx and animated by the Fortiche studio. The idea for a series emerged in 2015, but the first season did not arrive until 2021. It remained a hit for critics and spectators: four Emmy awards and number 1 of the most viewed series on Netflix in the following weeks its release in 85 countries. “I hope that the success ofArcane will demonstrate that we can dare to tell stories in League of Legends », insists Christian Linke.
The series was also praised for the quality of its production, led by the French studio Fortiche (read box). With a budget of 250 million euros for its two seasons, it even became the most expensive animated series of all time. “There will be no sequel to Arcanebut there will be new stories in this universe, promises Christian Linke. We can’t stop there. » According to an article in the magazine Varietydespite internal restructuring, Riot Games has suggested that a live action series, and an animated film on the universe of League of Legends could see the light of day. Enough to prolong the pleasure and satisfy fans ofArcane. Especially those who resist video games, if there are any left after the series.