- Arcane's co-creator has revealed which regions of Runeterra will be explored in the next League of Legends (LoL) adaptation
- Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia are set to take center stage
- Riot Games' co-founder Merc Merrill says they won't feature in three separate shows
One of Arcane's co-creators has finally revealed what's in store for future League of Legends (LoL) adaptations on Netflix – but isn't ready to confirm two big details just yet.
In an exclusive chat with TechRadar to discuss all things Arcane season 2 and future project plans, Christian Linke reconfirmed that Netflix, LoL creator Riot Games, and animation studio Fortiche would explore Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia in forthcoming movies and TV shows. These fan-favorite regions of Runeterra – the world that LoL and Arcane are set in – were first revealed by Linke in an extensive chat with League superfan Necrit on Twitch last Saturday (November 23).
However, while those reveals set tongues wagging among diehard LoL fans and Arcane devotees, Linke was keen to stress that any projects centered on Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia were still in the very early stages of development. That was to be expected, especially in light of Linke and fellow creator Alex Yee telling me that it'll be a long time before the next League adaptation makes its Netflix debut. This reveal, though, provides more questions than answers, including which iconic LoL champions will be part of proceedings and whether these regions are being focused on in individual movies and TV shows. [Update: an X/Twitter post from Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill confirms that these three regions won't be explored in three separate shows.]
With season 2's final three episodes teasing the arrival of a major League champion (Grand General Jericho Swain) who has ties to Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia – read more about these in my Arcane season 2 act 3 ending explainer – I couldn't help but ask Linke for more details on the above. Perhaps unsurprisingly, though Linke wasn't in the mood to confirm too much about the sequel (or, potentially, sequels) to one of the best Netflix shows.
"That's hard for me to say," Linke replied when I asked if Swain would be a protagonist or major supporting character in Arcane's follow-up. "Look, there's a presence throughout Arcane, as well as at its end... I mean, we gravitate toward the stories that our audience wants and we would be silly geese not to look at these really interesting and amazing regions of our IP [intellectual property]. I guess I can't really speak about specific characters yet. But, as I said to Necrit, we're really exploring these regions and there are essential characters that are attached to those regions."
As for whether Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia would feature in the same project or not, Linke added: "At this point, it really comes down to finding the right visionaries, storytellers, and people to shepherd and realize these. So, I really can't say anything too specific, but just know that we're working hard on them."
We're really exploring these regions and there are essential characters that are attached to those regions
Christian Linke, Arcane co-creator
I guess we'll just have to wait for more news from Linke and company when they have something official to share, then! Hopefully, the wait won't be too long, either – indeed, when Linke confirmed (in June) that Arcane's second season would also be its last, he implied that more information would be shared on the award-winning animated series' sequels before 2024 ends. Unless he's already revealed said information by confirming Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia's inclusion in the next project, then, I'd expect some more details in the weeks ahead. It would be a nice festive gift if more was unveiled, wouldn't it?
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