What exactly is Arcane? Its full name is Arcane: League of Legends, because it is based on League of Legends videogame and it is produced by creators of said game. League of Legends is a hugely successful MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) and since its release in 2009, it has become the world’s largest esport title with an audience of 100 million players and viewers. No wonder they wanted to see a TV show based on stories from their videogame world. Arcane is a 3D animated show for adults and basically a prequel – the show tells a story about the origins of two iconic League champions—and the power that will tear them apart. Every legend has a beginning.
Netflix already had successful animated shows based on videogame IPs (Castlevania) but the Arcane audience is much bigger. The show premiered shortly after 2021 League of Legends World Championship and it will be released in three chunks (three episodes available every week) on Netflix and China’s Tencent video simultaneously. First episode was also streamed on Twitch where it received 1.4 million concurrent viewers.