After a slew of pandemic-related delays, we finally have an update onArcane,the highly-anticipated animated series based on Riot Games’League of Legendsfranchise. Netflix dropped a surprise teaser trailer on Monday to announce that the show is currently in development and will officially be coming to the streaming service this fall.
Riot Games first announced the video game adaptation back in 2019 and initially planned to release it sometime in 2020. However, when the pandemic hit last year, production ontheLeague of Legendsseries was haltedand no update was provided for several months. Now, it looks likeArcaneis back in business, and fans of the hit MOBA title couldn’t be more excited.
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The short 18-secondArcanetrailer did not reveal any details about the plot of the series; however, the video description did mention that the story will follow “the origins of two iconic League champions” and “the power that will tear them apart.” It will also be set in the utopian region of Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, which are two regions regularly featured intheLeague of Legendsgame.
Seeing thatLeague of Legends' Vi and Jinx were shown in the clip, we can assume thatArcanewill revolve around them. However, the producers have previously hinted that they are working on expanding theLeague of Legendsuniverse with the addition of more characters, so there’s a high chance that we’ll be seeing a lot more faces (both new and familiar) in the show. The two unidentified figures in the teaser could have something to do with the apparent fallout between Vi and Jinx. One of them appears to be able to skate on walls, while the other seems to be able to harness the power of lightning.
Fortiche Productions, the French 3D studio that is also behind Riot’sGet Jinxedtrailer andMarvel’sRocket and Grootminiseries, took over the animation duties for the show.From the looks of it, Fortiche and Riot intend to pursue the same creative direction as their previous collaborations. Fans can also expect a 14+ rating, with a lot of epic fight scenes that will reference battle styles in the video game.
According to Shauna Spenley, the Global President of Entertainment at Riot Games,Arcanewas created as a “love letter” to players and fans who had been asking for more cinematic experiences in theLeague of Legendsuniverse. The series premiere comes at a good time, as Valve’sDota: Dragon’s Blood, another MOBA-based Netflix title, was also released this year.
