Arcane, the Netflix series based on the League of Legends universe, is now officially the most expensive animated TV series ever, with a budget exceeding $200 million.

Arcane The Most Expensive Animated Series

High-caliber modern film and TV productions require incredibly large and even exaggerated budgets for development and extensive promotional campaigns.

Films like Gladiator 2, F1, and Mission: Impossible 8 have surpassed $300 million in costs, while series like Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion have also hit $200 million with ease.

Producing blockbusters has never been this costly, and now, Arcane, the League of Legends series from Netflix, has been revealed by Variety to be the most expensive animated series in history.

Arcane was a surprise hit in 2021, captivating Netflix viewers and winning big in award circuits, including four Emmy Awards, one for Best Animated Program.

With Season 2 of the acclaimed series by Christian Linke and Alex Yee soon to premiere under the Riot Games banner, it’s now reported that the series’ total cost reached $250 million, setting a new record in its genre for “only” 18 episodes in total.

Since it premiered digitally, Netflix didn’t see immediate profits, nor did Riot Games, which invested heavily in a top-tier marketing campaign and an animation team to match the production’s quality.

The Best Video Game Adaptation

Considering that Arcane is widely regarded as the best video game adaptation, one of the best animated series, and a repeated awards circuit favorite, its $250 million budget may indeed be justified. This is especially true given its total runtime of around 720 minutes, compared to other animated films costing close to $200 million for just two hours of screen time.

The budget grew gradually due to Hollywood writers’ strikes and production delays, which also impacted its release date, disappointing thousands of fans.

Season 2 will be the last on Netflix, with the first batch of three episodes arriving on November 9, followed by three more on November 16 and the final three on November 23.

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