Riot Games’ Arcane animated series cost nearly $14 million per episode to produce and market, making it the most expensive series in animation history.

Due to the exorbitant production costs, the second season of Arcane, premiering on Netflix this week, will be its last, despite originally planned as a five-season arc.

According to a report in Variety, the total cost of the show’s 18-episode two-season run is $250 million. The first nine-episode season cost over $80 million, while the upcoming season cost closer to $100 million. Riot also spent $60 million to promote the first season, which was more than a typical studio would spend.

Arcane won nine Annie Awards and the Emmy for outstanding animated program, but the high price tag was due to a labor-intensive approach and inexperience in linear entertainment production.

Netflix paid Riot a $3 million per episode license fee for worldwide distribution rights, while Tencent paid an additional $3 million per episode for distribution in China.

Riot co-founder and chief product officer Marc Merrill defended the cost, stating, “We’re more than comfortable with the spend it took to deliver a show that was worthy of our players’ time.”

Merrill emphasized that their ambitions in entertainment remain unchanged, but they have adjusted their expectations and timelines based on the learning process.

The Variety report delves into Riot’s plans for entertainment production and its decision to refocus on gaming, where it generates billions in revenue through League of Legends.

Person: Riot Games, Marc Merrill

Company Names: Netflix, Tencent, Warner Bros

Titles: Arcane, League of Legends

Disclaimer: This article has been auto-generated from a syndicated RSS feed and has not been edited by Vitrina staff. It is provided solely for informational purposes on a non-commercial basis.