“Arcane is a really expensive animated series – which was the point”

(Image credit: Netflix)

It was recently revealed that Netflix’s League of Legends spin-off show, Arcane, is the most-expensive animated series ever. It reportedly cost $250 million for the 18 episodes

“First of all, the number is not exactly right,” showrunner Christian Linke tells us. “That number does include marketing costs associated with the release, which is not part of the budget of Arcane.” As a general rule of thumb for films, the marketing cost is supposed to be at least 50% of the production cost. If you’ve spent tens or hundreds of millions of dollars on something, you want people to see it.

Linke defends the cost, though, saying “Arcane is a really expensive animated series – which was the point. Our dream was to create an animated series that has the fidelity of what you see in animated movies.”

Fellow showrunner Alex Yee adds Arcane is “the length of several movies.” When you consider the overall length of the project, “If you compare us to animated movies, we are dirt cheap,” explains Linke.

The pair also detail what the money was used for: talent and quality. “You have voice actors, where we really tried to find great talent,” says Lee. “You have artists who we wanted to have time to really be able to put in their touches and to have so many different disciplines in this really be able to do their best and show what they could do. In a lot of ways, the money is just a reflection of the amount of effort that was put into this.”

Production designer Jason Schrier also defended the cost of the show, writing “Let this be the example for the standard if you want artistry and quality. Perfection takes time, and it takes resources. Every frame in Arcane is truly a painting, and nuanced at a level I feel our viewership deserves. Using the animation medium to be expressive, and to tell incredible larger than life stories.”