Arcane Series Was a Financial Failure for Riot Games Despite Global Success

The animated show based on the popular League of Legends universe has ended its second season. Although the first season was met with acclaim from viewers and critics, the project failed to justify the huge production costs, leaving Riot Games with a significant financial deficit.

According to reports, the production of both seasons cost the company $250 million, making Arcane the most expensive animated series in history. The project was originally conceived as a powerful tool for attracting new users to LoL and increasing revenue from microtransactions. However, as Bloomberg reports, these expectations were not met.

Netflix, which broadcast the series, paid Riot $3 million per episode, and Chinese giant Tencent invested a similar amount for the rights to broadcast in China. However, these funds were not enough to cover the costs. The problem was exacerbated by the lack of integration of thematic content from Arcane into the game itself. Riot Games did not add new heroes or items related to the animated series to LoL, which could have encouraged players to make additional purchases. In addition, the game’s complexity and high entry threshold repelled potential newcomers.

Season 2, released in 2024, turned out to be a little closer to self-sufficiency thanks to an updated strategy. The game introduced themed skins related to the series, priced from $10 to $250, but even this did not bring the expected profit.

Despite the financial failure, Riot Games is not giving up. In 2024, the company has planned the release of the fighting game 2XKO, which will feature the popular heroine of the series, Jinx. Three more projects based on the League of Legends franchise are also in development. Riot continues to look for ways to retain the current audience and attract new players, using the popularity of Arcane.