Just Like Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Arcane’s Success Has Saved League of Legends By Giving Developers a New Area to Focus On
In recent times, we have noticed the world of video games has seen a boom in adaptations in various media, most notably animation(anime).
SUMMARY
Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners were massive hits as video game adaptations.
These series might have opened new doors for other video game studios.
More stories like Arcane are to come.
As the adaptations of video games are slowly getting mainstream, people are starting to take notice. Anime adaptations of Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners have managed to create a huge fandom for their respective franchises with an insane animation debut on Netflix.
Series like Arcane have created a unique storyline that is set within their respective universe, and the success of these adaptations has created a trend for other video games to get adaptations. These anime have taught the industry that storytelling in a different format could cultivate the source material further.
The Rise of Video Game Adaptations
The Arcane series was released back in November of 2021, which took the gaming community and the general audience by storm. Arcane hit the top spot for being streamed in most countries. This animated series was produced by Riot Games in collaboration with Fortiche studio, which focuses on the origins of some iconic characters from the universe of League of Legends, including Vi, Jinx, Heimerdinger, and Caitlyn.
What makes Arcane unique is its stunning quality of animation and the studio’s ability to create deep, emotional storylines around the familiar League of Legends characters.
Arcane, as a show, explored different themes of life like class struggle, identity, and the consequences of ambition, which highly resonated with viewers who have very limited to no information about League of Legends. Arcane managed to transform LoL from a simple competitive title to a storytelling powerhouse, attracting a new player base.
Similarly, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is the anime adaptation of the game Cyberpunk, which was released back in 2022. This adaptation brought fresh views for the game, which was already getting harsh criticism for this almost failed launch. Edgerunner was able to offer a story-driven experience that showed the world of the Night City. The rough story and emotionally attached characters helped the fans to get a redefined perception of the Cyberpunk franchise.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an animation adaptation for the game franchise of Cyberpunk )Image via Studio Trigger in collaboration with CD Projekt Red)
Both series have had successful runs, with their engaging narratives and quality animation, which also helped the game titles to attract new fans. These successful adaptations should be a reminder to DEVs that there is a vast opportunity for storytelling and not just gameplay alone. This success marks the starting point for other game titles to expand into different media adaptations as it will revitalize the interest in the original title.
New areas of development for the Devs
The success of Arcane and Edgerunner has created a narrative-driven experience in the gaming industry. Devs are actively aware of the fact that solid storytelling will create a more immersive world for their fans which will eventually result in a more loyal player base. With such success, Riot and other game studios might explore newer formats to reach their audience like novels, comics, or maybe more anime series with different characters which will dive deeper into the universe of League of Legends.
Caitlyn, a character from League of Legends (Image via Riot Games)By simply supporting the current game model, this success can be the groundwork for newer gameplay experiences. For example, the conflict between Piltover and Zaun might inspire the Devs to create some newer game modes or maybe some story-driven content that the fans can engage with. By creating such a storyline that might resonate with their fans, Devs will be able to build an ecosystem around their game which will be a continuous source of content and experience.
Future Consequences of These Game Adaptations
The huge success of Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, clarifies a shift in how we the audience perceive video game storylines. Both series have successfully opened the doors for creativity and engagement in their respective franchises. For the game League of Legends, Arcane was able to provide the foundation upon which the devs can create further work that will be more expansive and emotionally rich.
Vi, a character from League of Legends (Image via Fortiche in collaboration with Riot Games)
As we look forward to the future, it is exciting to imagine the potential that lies ahead for Riot Games and other game studios, who are actively looking to explore different territories for storytelling. This will ultimately attract a new and loyal fan base from around the world.
