Players of League of Legends can not only spend time with their favorite champions in battle. The game features extensive backstories that fans can dive into. Many non-players recently enjoyed the Netflix series Arcane. Although it plays in the LoL universe, it was independent of the rest of the lore. This has now changed.
This is Arcane:
- The animated series was released in 2021 on Netflix.
- It takes place in the rival cities of Piltover and Zaun. Piltover is the shining city of progress and the source of many technological wonders.
- In contrast, Zaun is suffocated by smog. The citizens live in fear of the oppressive Piltover. As a result of this conflict, Zaun specialized in the field of alchemy and chemical science, which is often supported by the city’s criminal syndicates.
- The series tells the story of well-known champions like Jinx, Caitlyn, Vi, Jayce, Heimerdinger, and Viktor.
More about the new champion Briar can be seen here:
How has it been so far? Whether Arcane can be considered canon has been unclear so far. The story contains some inconsistencies with the existing lore, for example regarding the question of how the “Hextech technology” was invented.
The canon (engl. “canon”) represents material that is officially recognized as valid for a fictional universe.
“This fragmentation makes the world less believable”
What has been the problem so far? In the past, conflicting content has been introduced more frequently, which continues to permeate the lore today. Just the launch trailers for new seasons, which one would likely expect, have not always been in line with the rest of the lore.
This fragmentation makes it harder for fans to fully immerse themselves in the stories, explains Laura Deyoung in a video on Riot’s official X account.
As “Head of IP Creative,” she plans the further development of the LoL universe across all platforms with a team.
Here you can get an overview of all announcements yourself:
What happens next? For the future, it is agreed that this is not the right approach.
“From now on, all stories will be part of a unified canon, instead of a collection of different experiences that are similar, but inconsistent,” explains Deyoung.
The goal is to reflect great events and stories, as well as the essence of the characters in everything Riot does.
This will not happen overnight, of course, but in a long process, as Deyoung emphasizes.
However, no old stories will be corrected. Rather, inconsistencies will now always be addressed when they arise in a new project.
What does this mean for Arcane?
“Arcane and League are part of the same Runeterra canon,” writes Riot Brightmoon, Executive Producer of League of Legends, on X. “Not everything fits perfectly yet, but we will adjust that over time.”
Thus, Arcane is officially canon for League of Legends.
This will be noticeable, for example, in the update of the character Skarner early next year. The story of the Hextech champion is to be adapted to the events in Arcane.
Haven’t watched Arcane yet and want a good introduction? Or are you already fans of the series and want to delve deeper into the lore of League of Legends?
Here on MeinMMO we give you a brief overview of everything you need to know about the extensive lore of League of Legends for a start.
The story of LoL explained briefly – So that Arcane fans have an overview
