The numbers are out, and it’s outrageous. Riot Games poured hefty money on the production value of the beloved animated series, Arcane. Reports revealed that it costs approximately $250 million to produce the entire 18-episode run. With this, the series holds the title for being the most expensive animated series ever. Nonetheless, the adaptation remains remarkable for setting new standards for the visual quality of future animated content.
Breaking Down the Costs
Numbers reaching the ceiling emerged in the total spending of Arcane for its both seasons. In the financial breakdown, it showed that the first nine 40-minute episodes production cost over $80 million. Meanwhile, the second season budget breakthrough, which amounts to a total of $100 million, is significantly larger than the previous. While these may sound incredibly high, Riot Games put a cherry on top with their additional marketing budget.
Surprisingly, Riot invested $60 million for the marketing of the first season alone. This is unusually high for a show that they weren’t directly distributing. Perhaps Riot Games indulge in extravagant promotional events from promotion in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa skyscraper. Everything seems at a sky high level when it comes to Arcane’s budget.
“Dirt Cheap” Compared to Movies?
While the budget appeared record-breaking for a TV series, others argued that the series is actually “dirt cheap.” Christian Linke and Alex Yee, showrunners, criticized the animation of Arcane to be incomparable to animated feature films. While the series spent approximately $250 million, Disney’s “Frozen 2” achieved success with its $150 million budget. This produced an hour and forty minutes of popular animation across the world.
To further compare, the same budget will actually cover approximately 2.5 episodes of “Arcane” that will bring in more content. Besides, it also has a relatively lower cost per minute of animation that will keep fans entertained longer.
Quality Over Profitability
Some raised eyebrows over the massive budget that Arcane received. However, Marc Merrill, the co-founder of Riot Games, defended the spending they made. It was rather a comfortable spend and part of their commitment in delivering a show that is worthy of the players’ time.
Yet, some sources are saying that “Arcane” is likely not profitable for Riot despite its distribution partnership with Netflix and Tencent. With how massive their budget has been, it’ll be hard for Riot to get back the money they invested. Netflix and Tencent are both paying $3 million per episode for worldwide distribution rights. By any chance, it is likely the varying revenue streams such as merchandise and in-game content sales that contribute to earnings.
What’s Next After Arcane 2
Arcane’s success toppled over the high costs in production that Riot Games spent. Their dedication to pique and get players hooked on the series paid off with its popularity today. It is evident with their four Emmy Awards in 2022, where they were hailed as outstanding animated programs. Besides, they reached the #1 spot in 85 countries despite the competition among series on Netflix.
Yet, unfortunately, the investment and complex production process brought strategic changes at Riot Games. Originally, they intended the series to be a five-season arc to bring out thoroughly the origins of the characters. However, due to the extremely high production costs, they cut down to the current second season. This will mark the series’ last and an end to their impressive animated television production achievement.
Conclusions
At the end, Riot Games proved their commitment to deliver enjoyable content to all their players. Their production costs reached an all-time high among animated TV series, with $250 million just to create the multi-awarded show, Arcane. Definitely, most fans enjoyed the quality of the animated show, which earned millions of viewers across the globe. However, it has to be shorter due to its unsustainable production expenses. Hopefully, more animated series inspired by gaming titles will come through in 2025.
