Things are hot in Runeterra. Arcane Season 2 wraps up in November 2024 and we’re entering a new era of content. The League of Legends universe is no longer just a game, it’s an entertainment empire.
The 2025 season has just begun and marks a shift in how Riot Games approaches storytelling and game integration. With Arcane, Valorant, TFT, and a mix of comics, clips and live events, Riot is a full fledged media company. We might be seeing the rise of a new kind of entertainment ecosystem where live service games don’t live in a vacuum but thrive through connected media.
The 2025 Season: A Structural Overhaul
Season 15 redefines what a League of Legends season means. Riot Games is ditching the old single season year and is now splitting the competitive year into three seasons, each with its own ranked progression, themes and rewards. No more full rank resets after each split, ranked progress will feel more consistent. But ranked rewards are still a thing as Riot is still giving out three Victorious skins per year, one per season.
Each of these seasons will be split into two Acts, like Valorant episodes. This new system is designed to give us a structured competitive flow throughout the year while keeping us engaged through unique themed content.
Theming will also be a big focus moving forward. Each year will be centered around one of Runeterra’s regions, everything in the game – skins, champions, updates, map skins and even emotes – will be tied to that region for three months. 2025 will start with Noxus, directly after Arcane Season 2. This region is brutal and militaristic and will be a lore rich experience, setting the stage for a year of political intrigue, epic battles and deep storytelling integrations.
Riot Games and Its Music and Art Roots
Riot Games’ approach to content goes far beyond gaming. They’ve long been all about music and visual storytelling and have worked closely with world class artists. A common meme among fans is that Riot is actually a music studio that happens to make games – an idea reinforced by the soundtracks of Arcane, in game music events and collaborations with big name artists.
One of Riot’s biggest moves in 2024 was getting Linkin Park to do Heavy is the Crown for the 2024 League of Legends Worlds Championship. They’ve been working with top tier musicians for years, after Imagine Dragons, Zedd and K/DA, their virtual pop group that took the world by storm.
K/DA in particular showed Riot’s ability to shape the music industry and integrate it into the gaming world. The virtual K-pop group featuring League of Legends champions KDA: Ahri, Evelynn, Kai’Sa and Akali debuted in 2018 with POP/STARS which became a global phenomenon. Riot built on that success with follow up tracks like MORE and THE BADDEST and blending their expertise in gaming and music.
Other notable collaborations include Against the Current who did Legends Never Die for Worlds 2017 and Lil Nas X who partnered with Riot to create STAR WALKIN’ the official anthem for Worlds 2022. Riot’s music collaborations have been so good they’re on par with traditional music labels in terms of production value and reach.
Riot and Fortiche
Riot’s connection to artistry doesn’t stop at music. Their long term partnership with Fortiche, the French animation studio behind Arcane, has been instrumental in shaping the visual identity of the League of Legends universe. Fortiche, founded in 2009, started as a small animation studio creating stylized 2D/3D content for music videos and ads. Their early work on Get Jinxed (2013) with Riot laid the foundation for a deep creative partnership that would ultimately become Arcane. Fortiche’s talent was evident so Riot invested heavily in the studio to continue the collaboration. Fortiche’s blend of 3D and 2D animation set a new standard in gaming cinematics and animated storytelling making Arcane not just a successful adaptation but a cultural phenomenon. With Arcane’s massive popularity Fortiche is now a power player in the animation industry recognized far beyond gaming circles.
The Arcane Budget: A Bargain Compared to Hollywood
Some say Arcane’s $250 million price tag is too much. But compared to Disney it’s a steal. Consider Secret Invasion, a Marvel miniseries with a 4.5 hour runtime that cost $225 million. Despite its budget it was met with lukewarm reception. If stretched to Arcane’s length the costs would be nearly a billion dollars.
Then there’s The Marvels. With a production budget of $374 million this 1 hour 45 minute film cost nearly 1.5 times Arcane’s entire second season. Meanwhile Riot delivered a critically acclaimed, visually stunning animated series with Arcane and did it for a fraction of Hollywood’s inefficiencies.
Beyond direct revenue Arcane was a marketing machine. Riot monetized it through rare skins including the $250 Arcane Fractured Jinx skin. These exclusive cosmetics and other Arcane related sales likely offset much of the show’s costs.
The Bigger Picture: League’s Dominance in Live Service Gaming
With Riot’s success in different genres—Valorant in FPS, TFT in strategy and now Arcane in TV—it’s clear they’re not just making games anymore. They’re building an empire. Arcane wasn’t just a TV show; it was a bridge between the League of Legends community and a broader audience.
League of Legends’ impact goes far beyond the game itself. Secondary markets like account trading thrive because of its size. The demand for ranked progression fuels businesses selling Iron-tier accounts so players can experience the full climb from the bottom ranks. This kind of ecosystem shows the depth of engagement Riot has built over the years.
What’s Next?
Season 2025 has even more crossover content with Fortiche—the animation studio behind Arcane—working on in-game animations. Riot isn’t making content; they’re making experiences that bridge games, shows and interactive media. If this continues League of Legends will be the live service game and the benchmark for the entire industry.
The size of their media empire is so big that it created a rippling effect with numerous services and businesses created around it. A notable staple is account selling business. A lot of players buy Iron LoL Accounts and other ranks to improve their ranked experience or ease of the stress.
One thing is for sure; Riot isn’t done. With Arcane tied into the new season’s Noxian narrative and the game’s competitive structure evolving League of Legends is set for a big year. If Arcane Season 2 was anything to go by the best is yet to come.
