We Are Not A Film & Television Studio

Arcane executive music producer Alex Seaver has explained why season 2 pushed the budget to $250 million, breaking animation records. Prior to the release of Arcane season 2, it was reported the new episodes had pushed the cost of the entire series to $250 million overall. This broke budgetary records, making it the most expensive animated series of all time. It also makes the series stand out for more than its gorgeous visuals and well-written characters, giving it an important place within animation history.

Speaking with Screen Rant, Seaver said Arcane‘s lengthy production time and cost was because of Riot Games wanting to ensure perfection throughout the production. The executive music producer addressed the notion that the series “broke a video game adaptation curse,” giving credit to Fortische Production for their animation. He also praised showrunner Christian Linke for discovering the studio, emphasizing the importance of communication between all parties to produce an impressive – and expensive – final product. Check out what Seaver had to say below:

The show is made by Riot Games, which is, I think, one of the reasons it took a long time to make. There’s all these articles about how expensive it was, it is because we are not a film and television studio, we’re a game company. But I think it’s also the reason that in some respects this broke a video game adaptation curse, or whatever people say, is because these people care the most about the game. They made it. We didn’t lease out the work to traditional people in film and television, which can totally work. But for something like this, the special sauce is that it’s made in the building and we do all the animation in Paris at Fortiche, but they’re kind of like us now. We’ve been working with them for five or six years on some of our biggest music beats.

And [showrunner] Christian [Linke] just found them. He loves animation in high art form. And so the squad is really Fortiche and Riot Games. We have talks every single week. We’re in communication. We do a bunch of trips out to Paris and that’s the whole thing. It’s written by us and the music’s made by us with wonderful artists. That’s probably why it feels so much like a team, is that it’s all just going on in the building. And that’s why the Easter eggs and the references to the champions are so deep and so dense, because it’s the people that invented Vi and Jinx. That wrote them into existence. Are writing Arcane. They wrote those characters 10 years ago or whatever, and now here they are. I think that’s one of the reasons that it’s got such a cool sense of itself.

What Seaver’s Statement Says About Arcane’s Budget

The Show Needed A Heavy Cost To Tell Its Story

Seaver’s statement emphasizes just how large the production of the League of Legends series was, taking multiple years and expert crafting by the French animation studio to come to life. This justifies its massive budget, which went not only to the animators, but to the writers, directors, and cast of Arcane, all of whom helped bring the series to life. Had so much money not been spent on crafting its vibrant yet dark world, the series still would have been good, but might not have been as memorable.

This high spending could also be applied to the upcoming follow-up projects, expected to be set in Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia. While it’s unclear if their cost would be as high as, for instance, a potential Arcane season 3, that same budget might be necessary to bring the familiar characters in these regions to life. The series set a precedent for what to expect in future League of Legends shows or movies, meaning a similar amount of dedication and spending is likely to happen for the projects now in development.

Our Take On Why Arcane’s Budget Was So High

Necessary To Craft Its Impressive Animation

Without a high budget, Arcane may not have had the impressive animation it did, breathing life into every frame with stunning detail across all 18 episodes. The amount of money spent is a testament to how much effort was put into making it a strong, unique series deserving of the massive price tag attached. Since even more projects are already on the way, it might not be long until the budget of League of Legends‘ new TV universe grows even more.

Set in the League of Legends universe, Arcane focuses on sisters Violet and Powder (later Jinx) as they end up on opposite sides of a growing conflict between the wealthy utopia of Piltover and its dark undercity whose citizens wish to break away from their oppressors. Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, and Kevin Alejandro star in this animated adventure. 

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