Arcane, the much-anticipated League of Legends animated series from Riot Games and Netflix, is finally here. But instead of dropping all at once, the series will be divided into three acts, each consisting of three episodes. Act one of the show will premiere next Saturday, November 6, while acts two and three will debut on Netflix on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, respectively.
What to Expect
Steampunk-driven aesthetics, blackmarkets, giant airships, epic battles, and a whole lot of cool flashy weapons.
As a prequel series to the immensely popular battle arena game, Arcane is set in the past and will detail the origin stories of many iconic characters.
Foremost among these champions are Vi, the law-enforcing sheriff, and Jinx, the infamous terrorist. The story will dive into their shadowy childhood and explore the sinister events that turned them from sister-in-arms into deadly foes.
Just as intriguing and eye-catching is the juxtaposition between the rich city of Piltover and the seedy underbelly of Zaun.The former is a beautiful cliffside metropolis buzzing with art and commerce, while the latter looks a lot like the Scrapyard from Battle Angel Alita, only with considerably more smog and pollution. With the invention of hextech, a method which allows anyone to harness magical energy, the tension between the two societies finally hit boiling point.
According to the company’s latest news release,”the series is designed to stand on its own as a complex world filled with moral decisions, breathtaking animation, and suspenseful storytelling.”
Arcane stars Hailee Steinfeld as Vi, Ella Purnell as Jinx, Kevin Alejandro as Jayce, Katie Leung as Caitlyn, Jason Spisak as Silco, Toks Olagundoye as Mel, JB Blanc as Vander, and Harry Lloyd as Viktor. The animation is being handled by Fortiche Production in Paris, a studio famous for its combination of 2D and 3D animation and colorful, painted style.
But that’s not all
Netflix and Riot Games announced on Monday that the first episode of Arcane will be co-streamable exclusively on Twitch.
The premiere event, which includes a red carpet pre-show from Riot Games headquarters in Los Angeles, is free to co-stream for all fans. This means that content creators on the platform will be able to broadcast themselves by watching and interacting with the first episode. Moreover, those who follow streams on Twitch will receive Twitch Drops, which feature items exclusive to Riot Games.
“The interest in our global community of players in deepening the story has a lot to do with our decision to create Arcane,” says Brandon Meow, Director of Product Partnerships and Experiences at Riot Games. “So it’s only fair that they can watch the first episode of Arcane together as a community.”
“When designing the event, we wanted to combine traditional entertainment with innovative and digital approaches that would increase the reach of players around the world, and create something new for people to enjoy together.”