“Arcane” is taking over the world.
Riot Games’ debut animated League of Legends series has become a smash hit with both League fans and general audiences alike. It has maintained a 100% average on Rotten Tomatoes and received near perfect scores from most online reviewers. The show has been heralded as a masterpiece, and the future of animation and CG, but this didn’t happen overnight.
“Arcane” is the result of more than a decade of Riot Games animations. So how did a company that originally made a single game, which looked to be average at best, produce arguably the best video game screen adaption of all time?
This is The Rise of “Arcane.”
The history of Riot Games animations
It all began in 2009, when Riot Games released its first trailer. The pre-beta footage featured only a handful of the characters from the now expansive 157 champion roster. The cinematic is rudimentary, even by 2009 standards, but it gave fans the first look at what would ultimately become one of the world’s most popular games. It took well over a year for the next fully-animated cinematic to be released but, in that time, Riot had improved its product substantially.
Far more emphasis was put on dynamic action, or what each of the champions were capable of in-game. This level of detail would be mirrored in the various small animated projects that followed, as well as the 2012 animated trailer for the Dominion game mode.
In summer of 2013, Riot once again took a giant leap forward with the creation of “A twist of Fate;” a cinematic that not only progressed Riot’s animated visuals but its storytelling as well. While previous animations had been strongly tied to game mechanics, like capturing points or taking towers, “A Twist of Fate” maintained the spirit of the gameplay while minimizing the more unrealistic elements.
Experience The Rise of Arcane by watching the video above or heading to Upcomer’s YouTube channel.
Watch more Rise and Fall:
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The Rise Again of Faker — How esports’ greatest icon reinvented himself
The Rise Again of ScreaM — How VALORANT Saved CS:GO’s Fallen Legend
