According to a new report, Arcane recovered less than half of its budget from payments to air its 18 episodes, but a Riot co-founder says the show is about more than just money.
AgencyThe report states that Arcane was a “financial mistake” and Riot “did not have a solid plan to recoup the cost of the program before its release.” Executive producer Paul Bellezza tells Agency that the show cost $250 to produce and market, but that figure has been questioned.
The report claims that Netflix paid $3 million per episode and Tencent also paid $3 million for the show's distribution rights in China. This would mean that the program only directly earned $108 million, less than half of the contested budget.
Riot co-founder Marc Merrill decided reddit to defend the program, writing, “People who look at the world through a cynical, transactional, short-term lens really struggle to understand Riot.” […] “These people think we do things like Arcane to sell skins, when in reality we sell skins to do things like Arcane.”
The showrunners have often talked about the artistry of the show and how proud they were to be able to give those working on it the time to turn it into something great. considering all the hidden details in ArcanumI would say it was money well spent.
“Riot is a mission-driven company where Rioters constantly strive to improve their player quality,” Merill continues. “That's why we've done it successfully time and time again across multiple games and now across multiple businesses/media: gaming, sports, music, and animation. Are we doing it all right? No. But we're not focused on short-term extraction.” Earnings Term: We are focused on delivering exceptional value to our audience over the long term, over and over and over again.”
Arcane's writers took some liberties with the game's story to make their story work better on television, but Our own League of Legends fans just don't care.the show is that good. What works in one medium doesn't always work in another, and bending the rules makes for a better work of art.
“To be clear, Arcane crushed players and us too,” Merill writes.
Arcane was a huge success from all points of view of fans and critics. Our review calls it “One of the best video game adaptations of all time.” The hit animated show ran for two seasons and I saw tons of people online saying they were going to try League of Legends, the game it's based on. They will be in for a real shock.
If you've finished Arcanum and are looking for your next obsession, check out the best tv shows of 2024 that you can catch up on during the holidays.