The Bittersweet Goodbye: Why Arcane is Ending on a High Note

As the curtains close on the award-winning animated series Arcane, fans are left wondering why the show is calling it quits after just two seasons. The showrunner, Christian Linke, has a simple answer: they wanted to tell a specific story with a tailored ending in mind. In an industry where shows often overstay their welcome, Arcane’s decision to quit while ahead is a refreshing change.

The popular multiplayer online game that inspired Arcane

Arcane, inspired by the multiplayer online game League of Legends, follows the fates of sisters Vi and Jinx as they find themselves on opposing sides of a war. The show’s striking animation and the performances of Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell drew huge praise, winning Arcane an Emmy and sweeping the board at the Annies. It remains one of Netflix’s highest-rated original shows and, in some people’s eyes, the best video game adaptation ever made.

The Industry’s Fear of Taking Risks

Christian admits that getting a TV show made in an industry that’s “afraid to have a big blunder” is difficult. But having a big fanbase for the game gave Arcane’s creators confidence. “It was very clear that just because it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t mean this huge audience of gamers didn’t want to see these characters and these worlds realised in a big way,” he says.

Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends

Despite being the creator of one of the world’s most-played online titles, Riot Games has had a troubled few years. The company paid out compensation to female employees last year as the result of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over sexual discrimination lodged in 2018. And earlier this year, it laid off 530 staff, with CEO Dylan Jadeja saying it had made some “big bets” in its attempts to expand outside gaming that hadn’t gone to plan.

The Future of Videogame Adaptations

Fans won’t be getting more of Arcane’s story after season 2, but Christian says there are plans for further shows based on LoL featuring more of the game’s 167 playable characters. Despite wider troubles in the industry, there is a big appetite for videogame adaptations. They’ve turned around their reputation for being low quality and are becoming increasingly in demand after a string of high-profile successes.

The future of videogame adaptations looks bright

Christian hopes the success of Arcane will inspire other creators to avoid “just trying to fit into Hollywood and really find our own path.” “We really just tried to stay true to what our game feels like, what our tone is,” he says. “We should preserve videogames. They’re different. And that’s OK. And that’s why they’re so cool. So let’s embrace it.”