Riot Games is the company best known for the hugely popular “League of Legends” video game series, but it’s also making a name for itself as a TV show producer. The Netflix series “Arcane” is just the first step in Riot’s bid to traverse the risky nexus of entertainment and gaming.
Marc Merrill, co-founder and president of games, and Shauna Spenly, head of entertainment, discussed their strategy in a joint interview recorded last month at the Variety Gaming & Entertainment Breakfast, presented by Pixel United. The pair spoke about the six-year process that marked the development of “Arcane” from the idea and conception stage to its worldwide premiere on the streamer late last year.
“There’s a ton of creative entrepreneurship inside the company,” Spenley said on the latest episode of the Variety podcast “Strictly Business.” “In order to create something of that caliber, you really have to give it a ton of space to figure out its identity. That’s what they did.”
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Prior to “Arcane,” Spenley noted that there wasn’t a previous market for adult-minded animation stemming from the game. The ambition behind the project and expanding the world of the already beloved property convinced Riot to expend the time and financial resources toward the series.
“I’m just so proud of Christian and Alex, along with the writers who have poured their hearts and souls into building this world and IP,” Merrill said.
“Strictly Business” is Variety’s weekly podcast featuring conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. A new episode debuts each Wednesday and can be downloaded on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and SoundCloud.