Following the AI-generated promo poster controversy this week, fans expressed more concerns about the pacing of ‘Arcane’ Season 2. According to viewer feedback, the episodes in Acts 2 and 3 felt rushed with their packed plot and take on character relationships unlike Season 1.
Showrunner Christian Linke addressed the criticism in a new chat with GamesRadar+, saying, “When people watch Season 1, there’s an aspect to the pacing… Season 2 is a bit different in that regard. I respect that people express that [opinion]. You’re right—the vast majority of the audience seems to be happy. But there are people who say, ‘It’s rushed. What’s going on?’”
“We did approach Season 2 a little bit differently in how we structured the episodes because we wanted, as creatives, to take these bets [and] take these swings,” he explained. “It seems like for most people that works really well. There’s some people who specifically wanted to see the continuation of Season 1 in that regard and are disappointed. I’m not happy that they feel that way; but I respect that.”
‘Arcane’ returned for Season 2 on November 9, setting a record as the most expensive animated series on streaming or linear TV with a budget of $250 million for production and promotion. Linke produced the show, inspired by the ‘League of Legends’ video game, alongside Marc Merrill, Brandon Beck, Jane Chung, and Thomas Vu.
Merrill commented on the budget in an interview with Variety as follows: “We’re more than comfortable with the spend it took to deliver a show that was worthy of our players’ time. I understand why that change could feel to some folks like we’re moving away from our aspirations in entertainment, but that’s absolutely not the case. We have projects in development and are just as excited about the possibilities in TV and film as we’ve ever been.”
Riot Games and Studio Fortiche announced that this season would be the final for ‘Arcane’ but promised more projects to expand the ‘League of Legends’ universe on screen.
