No, Arcane is Not Being Removed From Netflix
I‘m happy to confirm that Riot‘s hit animated show Arcane is here to stay on Netflix. Despite some concerns raised last year, there are no plans to take Arcane off the streaming platform.
Why Fans Were Worried About Arcane‘s Future on Netflix
In August 2022, Netflix announced plans to cut back on animated content after a subscriber slump. This led to speculation about whether expensive animated productions like Arcane could be on the chopping block.
Riot‘s partnership with Netflix reportedly came with a massive price tag. Producing Arcane‘s visually-stunning blending of 2D and 3D animation was said to cost over $10 million per episode. For a show as ambitious as Arcane, some questioned whether Netflix would renew it for Season 2.
However, Riot Co-Founder Marc Merrill quickly alleviated fans‘ concerns. He confirmed that Arcane would not be impacted by the animation cost-cutting due to the nature of their Netflix deal.
By the Numbers: How Arcane Became a Massive Hit
Arcane swiftly became one of Netflix‘s most-watched shows following its November 2021 debut. According to Netflix‘s public viewership data, Arcane garnered over 1.4 billion minutes viewed in its first month.
The show dominated Netflix‘s global Top 10 rankings across 94 countries. For two straight weeks, Arcane sat at #1 worldwide.
Netflix also confirmed that Arcane is its most popular original series out of Korea. The show‘s high-quality animation was produced by Fortiche Production in France and Korea.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Nov 2021 | 1.4 billion minutes viewed in 1st month |
| Dec 2021 | #1 on Netflix‘s Top 10 globally |
| Jan 2022 | Watched for over 38.4 million hours |
Arcane‘s viewership remained strong into 2022. By January, it had accrued over 38.4 million viewing hours on Netflix.
With these incredible metrics, it was clear that Arcane resonated with fans and had become a crown jewel of Netflix‘s original programming.
Critical Praise and Awards Success for Arcane
In addition to its popularity with fans, Arcane earned immense critical acclaim across the board:
- 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic score – Nearly unheard of for a video game adaptation
- 96% Rotten Tomatoes audience score – Over 20,000 glowing fan reviews
- Peabody Award – Considered one of highest achievements in broadcasting
- Annie Award – For outstanding achievement in animation
- Crunchyroll Anime Award – Voted by fans as Best Anime of 2021
Arcane made history by winning a prestigious Peabody Award in May 2022. This honor is rarely given to animated shows or video game adaptations. It was a testament to Arcane‘s phenomenal storytelling and production values.
On top of the Peabody, Arcane won 9 Annie Awards including Best Directing, Best Writing, and Best Editorial. Annies are considered the animation industry‘s most prestigious accolades.
The Runaway Success of Arcane Proves Riot‘s Vision
For Riot Games, Arcane‘s success represented a major achievement – finally bringing the rich storytelling of Runeterra to life in a new format.
Riot has dreamed of creating a "Marvel-like" cinematic universe around League of Legends for over a decade. After a few false starts with canceled projects, Arcane was the fully-realized manifestation of that vision.
The goal was to tell an enthralling, emotionally-resonant story that would appeal to both hardcore LoL fans and general audiences. Arcane pulled that off in spades, introducing LoL champions like Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn to viewers in a whole new way.
For years, Riot has invested heavily in League of Legends lore, comics, music videos, and more. That worldbuilding provided the foundation for Arcane. The show weaves together and expands on lore that‘s been built up around these characters for over a decade.
Arcane‘s success proved that Riot‘s patient, meticulous worldbuilding could pay off big when brought to screens. It left fans hungry to further explore the depths of Runeterra.
Arcane Season 2 Enters Production to Fans‘ Delight
In November 2021, Riot confirmed that Arcane Season 2 was already in the works. This came as welcome news to fans after the thrilling Season 1 finale.
Details on Arcane‘s second season are still tightly under wraps. But Riot has hinted that production is well underway with the original creators back at the helm.
Season 2‘s story will pick up after the events of Season 1‘s fiery conclusion. It promises to dive deeper into fan-favorite champions‘ backstories.
Leaked concept art has suggested that Warwick, Singed, and Viktor may play major roles in the new season. But which plot threads or champions will come to the forefront remains to be seen.
One thing is for certain – Riot and Fortiche will continue pushing the animation envelope with Season 2. If the trailers are any indication, the visuals look just as stunning and innovative as Season 1, if not more so.
Fans are eagerly awaiting any scraps of news on Arcane Season 2. But Riot seems intent on keeping followers in the dark until they‘re ready for a full reveal.
Arcane Sparks a Surge of Interest in League of Legends
Arcane didn‘t just succeed as a standalone series. It also had a tangible impact on Riot‘s core business – the League of Legends game.
League saw a massive spike in players and revenue as Arcane premiered and introduced new fans to Runeterra. According to Riot, global pre-registrations jumped over 80% compared to before Arcane launched.
In China, over 13 million new players registered during Arcane‘s run. League of Legends revenue in China also surged by double digit percentages from Arcane‘s boost.
Arcane brilliantly served as an on-ramp for non-gamers to get into League and its characters. It motivated fans to dive into the MOBA after falling for the show‘s world and heroes.
Riot and Netflix Plan an Animated League of Legends Cinematic Universe
Beyond Arcane, Riot and Netflix have boldly declared plans to create a sprawling League of Legends cinematic universe across multiple shows and genres.
Arcane is just the "first chapter" intended to establish the foundations of Runeterra on screen. Riot envisions telling stories across Runeterra‘s different factions, locations, and eras.
Already in the works for Netflix are:
- League of Legends: Legends of Runeterra – Behind-the-scenes documentary series
- League of Legends live-action show – Set in Riot‘s Piltover/Zaun universe
- Additional animated shows – Riot job listings hint at more animated series
These titles will help flesh out the universe and its characters beyond where Arcane has gone so far.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos explained that Riot‘s massive library of IP makes them perfectly suited for an ambitious crossover universe.
With over 150 champions and vast lore developed over 12 years, Riot and Netflix have plenty of rich material to mine for new stories and spin-offs.
Arcane Season 1 Leaves Fans Eager for More
After Arcane‘s electric first season, fans were immediately clamoring for any news about future episodes. The story left off on several tantalizing cliffhangers that beg for resolution.
Key unanswered questions include:
- What happened to Jinx after the rocket launch? Is she redeemed or lost completely?
- How will Vi and Caitlyn‘s relationship progress as they keep order in a now chaotic Piltover/Zaun?
- Did Vander truly become Warwick as hinted?
- What are Singed‘s sinister plans for his mutagen experiments?
Riot understands fans‘ hunger for more and are working hard on Arcane Season 2. But they insist that they won‘t rush the next installment.
Riot‘s Global President of Entertainment said that while fans want Arcane as soon as possible, "We want to exceed those expectations…So Arcane 2, when it comes out, will be better than the first one."
Arcane is Here to Stay on Netflix
While Netflix is cutting some of its animation slate, Riot wants fans to rest assured that Arcane is not going anywhere.
Arcane will remain firmly in place as the flagship of Riot and Netflix‘s bold plans to bring the League of Legends universe to screens.
Given the artistic and commercial success of Season 1, both partners are fully invested in continuing Arcane‘s story. The show has simply been too much of a triumph for Netflix to consider dropping it anytime soon.
For fans who‘ve fallen in love with the scrappy characters and vivid world of Arcane, there are lots more adventures in store across seasons to come.
