'We sell skins to make things like Arcane' - Riot Games co-founder speaks on Arcane being a ‘Financial Miss’

The animated adaptation of League of Legends, Arcane, turned out to be a smash hit among viewers; however, the show reportedly made less than half of its budget. The two-season (18-episode) long series, which has now concluded, cost Riot Games around $250 million and was a heavy hit on the company’s wallet.

As reported by Bloomberg, the show was completely financed by Riot, with the final spending reaching an estimate of $250 million. Each episode of the show brought in $6 million, 3 from Netflix and the other 3 from Tencent for the right to air Arcane in China. That’s $108 million in earnings, which dwarfs in comparison to how much was spent.

An argument on this topic broke out, with many claiming Riot made Arcane was basically an advertisement to sell the merchandise and cosmetics in League of Legends. However, co-founder of Riot Games, Marc Merrill, explained the reasoning behind creating Arcane.

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Games have everything backward?

“People who look at the world through a short-term, transactional, cynical lens really struggle to understand Riot,” Merrill explained, further adding, “People think we make things like Arcane to sell skins, when in reality we sell skins to make things like Arcane. Rit is a mission-driven company where Rioters are constantly striving to make it better to be a player.”

He explained that while there may be some things they get wrong, they are not focused on making short-term profits but also deliver exceptional value to the audience over the long-term back-to-back. While not connected, Riot Games also have more animated projects planned for the future.

Although, if Riot sells skins to make things like Arcane, will players see other $400 skins similar to Faker signature Ahri? The reveal created a huge controversy, however, the collection was sold out within an hour, so it’s safe to say gamers are still going to get them, especially if Riot keeps making shows like Arcane.