Riot Games and Netflix unveiled a trailer for the Arcane animated TV series coming on November 6.
The show will premiere that day at 7 p.m. Pacific time on Tencent video in China and Netflix globally just hours after the League of Legends Worlds Final.
The show is structured into three distinct acts with three episodes per act. The first three episodes focus on the very beginnings of the two sisters (from the League of Legends video game) and will launch on November 6. The second act will launch a week later on November 13, and the third act will release on November 20.
The premiere of the show will be at the center of a global celebration for gamers and fans of the League of Legends intellectual property. It’s Riot’s first move into a TV show. The show has been in the works for a while. Riot Games first unveiled Arcane at its 10th anniversary celebration in 2019.
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“Players all over the world love League and its universe,” said Nicolo Laurent, CEO of Riot Games, in a statement. “Their passion is what inspires us to create expressions of Runeterra worthy of their fandom. The launch of Arcane is the beginning of the next chapter for Riot and we can’t wait for players to see what we have in store for them across games, entertainment, and sports.”
Backstory
Based on the world behind League of Legends, Arcane dives into the delicate balance between the rich city of Piltover and the seedy underbelly of Zaun.
Known across the land of Runeterra as the “city of progress,” many of the most brilliant minds call these cities home. But the creation of hextech, a way for any person to control magical energy, threatens that balance. While Arcane holds the backstories of League of Legends champions, the series is designed to stand on its own as a complex world filled with moral decisions, breathtaking animation, and suspenseful storytelling.
“When we set out to produce Arcane, we knew that we had something really special with the story of Jinx and Vi,” said Christian Linke, co-creator of Arcane, in a statement. “We wanted to explore the idea of what you would do for your family, what values you’d compromise, and the conflict you’d endure. The story, combined with the hand-painted art style and nuanced character animation we created in partnership with Fortiche, will bring players a rich glimpse into the world of League of Legends.”
Players will see some familiar faces in Arcane, like Jinx, Vi, Jayce, and Caitlyn, and learn about the events that made them into the champions that they are in the game. Players will also be introduced to some new faces too, like Vander and Silco, who are both citizens of Zaun and play critical roles in shaping the evolving world. One character may be a hero in one city and a villain in another.
Vi is voice acted by Hailee Steinfeld, Caitlyn by Katie Leung, Jayce by Kevin Alejandro, Silco by Jason Spisak, Jinx by Ella Purnell, Mel by Toks Olagundoye, Vander by JB Blanc, and Viktor by Harry Lloyd.
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