Over the course of two seasons, Netflix’s animated seriesArcaneturned the world of a video game into prestige TV. The deepest exploration yet of characters from Riot Games’ mega-hitLeague of Legendsrealized and expanded on rich lore that, while incredibly additive, wasn’t necessarily the focus of the game itself. Primarily focused on the story of sisters Vi and Jinx,Arcanealso brought many of the game’s other heroes to life through animation.
The critically-acclaimed series thatScreenRant’sArcaneseason 2 part 3 reviewdubbed “a true masterpiece” was a Herculean effort across all aspects of production. Executive producer, showrunner, and head of Riot Games’ animation studio Christian Linke guided the story from start to finish, partnering with people like Barthelemy “Bart” Maunoury, a co-director and creative director at the French animation studio Fortiche Productions. Writers including co-executive producer Amanda Overton (who is also a producer onSeverance) helped ensure all the series’ biggest moments were as meaty and consequential as possible.
ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan spoke with Christian Linke, Barthelemy Maunoury, and Amanda Overton about their work adapting the world ofLeague of Legendsinto Netflix’sArcane.The creatives discussed the collaboration between departments and how theArcaneteam came together for what would become an incredibly successful series. They also discussed what they might like to return to in the future, which is especially interesting given Linke’s pointed non-answer about a potentialVi and Caitlyn spinoff.
How Arcane Was Written To Appeal To Non-Gamers
Arcanenot only realizedLeague of Legendslore in a way that was both emotional and thrilling, but did so in a way that was accessible to viewers who had never played the game.“I think we had to really find the human elements that are universal,”showrunner Christian Linke said about how they made it happen.“I think for Alex(Yee,Arcaneco-creator)and I and the team, it started with just being fans of Vi and Jinx.”
“They’re fun game characters,”Linke said,“they’re entertaining, they’re loud, they’re big, but also there is a question of [them being] siblings, where we just want to know what happened between them that they became these enemies. And I think that’s something that works for anyone who has siblings and knows that there is sometimes some tension. So, you hold onto that and you expand from there.”
“I love video games so much, but hadn’t played League of Legends before,”Amanda Overton added,“I had Christian and Alex, who were the League experts, to rely on, but I also got to be the outsider looking in and saying, ‘What would I want to see? What would I connect with?’ And again, we just started with the characters and what they wanted and how that felt personal to each of us.”
Christian Linke Explains How Gameplay Influenced Arcane
“There Needs To Be A Continuity”
Arcane’s Vi and Jinx were always going to be similar to how they appeared in theLeague of Legendsgame, but Linke revealed how actual gameplay, rather than just character bios, informed how the characters were written. When asked about the challenge in fleshing out characters’ backstories for the screen, Linke said,“I think we were very confident in our ability to capture the characters. For Alex and [me,] it was a little easier, because we were part of the team that created the characters back then … we knew them very, very well.”
When heading into the world ofArcane,though, considerations included,“‘Who were they as kids? How did they grow up together? What do they eat? Are they messy eaters? How do they spend their free time?’”Linke shared, adding,“that’s the kind of stuff [you think about] when you create the human being behind the champion of the game. And I think there are a lot of our own personal stories in there, and our own personal lives.”But, Linke said, being familiar with gameplay was crucial.
“There are sometimes questions where you really need to understand how it feels to play these characters in the game.”
The reason for this is that, inLeague of Legends, each character requires a different playstyle and strategy. Vi and Jinx play differently, and that ultimately means that their onscreen personalities must be different.“When there’s a fight,”Linke said,“Who goes in first? Vi? Jinx? Who actually makes it out? We try to really respect all those things–what it feels like to play these characters in the game. There needs to be a continuity that we just can’t break.”
Arcane Is Over, But Will The Characters Return?
“We’re Going To Feel The Itch To Continue Something From Arcane”
Critically, at least,Arcanewas a massive success for Riot, Fortiche, and Netflix. The fact thatArcaneseason 2 is the end of the series, then, is a little surprising–but that doesn’t mean moreLeague of Legendsstories are off-limits. It also doesn’t mean the characters fromArcaneare gone forever.“The IP is really, really fun,”Linke said about the future, continuing,“There are a lot of different tonalities and characters and genres. I think, for now, it’s a moment for us to take a step back [and] look at the whole map, if you will.”
“I think there’s definitely going to be stories and strings and characters, at some point, where we’re going to feel the itch to continue something from Arcane.”
“But, at the same time,”Linke added,“Arcane was really the first project we’ve done as a team, a company, [and] as a studio, and there are other things we want to explore. It, right now, really comes down to the creatives on the team. What are the kinds of things we all have a desire to work on? … ‘Who needs this to exist?’ rather than ‘This is a strategic choice.’”
That said, Amanda Overton has her own thoughts about what she’d like to see from these characters.“I wasn’t a mother when we were writing season 1 and 2 and now I am,”she said,“And I was like, ‘There is so much more to explore in terms of motherhood, or how phases of life shift. [I’d be interested in] older characters–what happens when Vi and Caitlyn are older, and now they’re adults, and what choices do they make?’”
Of course, not all of theLeague of Legendschampions made it through the events ofArcane. “We did know there had to be consequences for everyone’s actions,”Overton said.“Everyone is forced into the position where they do tragic things or make big mistakes that have big consequences, and you need to have consequences that matter. So, we did know from the beginning that champions would die. We did know from the beginning that people wouldn’t make it through unchanged, or unscathed, so that they would face the consequences for these big actions they took.”
Barthelemy Maunoury also shared his hopes for the future, which were more tied to the type of collaboration rather than specific characters.“Like Christian said,”he shared,“the whole IP of League of Legends is endless. There is so much you’re able to explore. I have my personal favorite, but we’ll see how that goes.”Ultimately, though,“No matter what we do in the future, if I get to work with the same people, I’ll be happy.”
Arcane Was Very Much A Labor Of Love
“Nothing Was Easy”
The creatives behindArcanealso shared some of the many difficulties they faced in bringing theLeague of LegendsIP to television.“Taxing, but worth it,”Linke called the experience. He continued:“Nothing was easy. The dream was to create something that really takes that next step of dramatic storytelling and serialized animation. There were no references that we could point to. It was really, really hard because every single time you had to make decisions, [it was like,] ‘How are you going to make this?’ Because no one’s ever tried this at this scale.”
“The worst thing we could do is lean back and not keep trying.”
Maunoury shared one area that was a particular struggle, saying,“Building up the team was tricky, because at the time we were doing the show, we were underdogs. We hadn’t done anything that massive, so it was tricky to attract talent. But then we did the pilot, and after the pilot … and the job was, all of a sudden, way more easy. That’s where I realized, ‘Oh, maybe we are doing something cool.’”
In the end, though, the challenge ofArcanehelped bond the people behind the series. In Linke’s words,“No matter if it’s the music, the animation, [or] the voice actors, it really felt like it was like you were on this really special mission together, and you look back on it really fondly. Honestly, that’s my favorite part: that you were cooking that magic together. I think that feels really special.”
