Nicolo Laurent, the head of Riot Games, shared in a concise interview with the Chinese site Bilibili that the second season of Arcane, the series inspired by the League of Legends universe, would not debut in 2023. The producer emphasized that three episodes of the new season had already been filmed, noting steady progress but acknowledging the project was not yet finished.
Laurent explained two main reasons behind the 2023 delay. First, the team is prioritizing high-quality output, and second, scheduling constraints played a role. He admitted that the studio did not know if the first Arcane season would meet expectations, which influenced the timing of the second season. If there had been confidence in a strong reception, production could have started earlier, he suggested.
Arcane emerged as a standout success in 2021, earning critical acclaim and becoming the animation category’s first Emmy winner for a streaming program. The series follows the lives of siblings Jinx and Vi, two League of Legends champions, who find themselves in the escalating conflict between Zaun and Piltover, two rival cities central to the game’s lore. The show’s storytelling and visual style helped broaden the franchise’s appeal beyond traditional players, attracting a broader audience of fans and newcomers alike. The narrative weaves themes of friendship, betrayal, and power against a richly imagined backdrop that blends futuristic tech with urban grit.
Earlier reports noted that other genre projects, such as a zombie-centered adaptation, were recognized in entertainment awards discussions, illustrating the wider landscape of genre crossover and cross-media adaptation present in today’s pop culture milieu. [Citation: Riot Games updates on Arcane production and industry chatter]