Arcane co-creator Christian Linke has shared a lengthy response to rumors about behind-the-scenes issues after he admitted the Jayce and Viktor Season 2 storyline felt “unresolved” due to time constraints.
Let’s not get it twisted – Arcane Season 2 was nothing short of a masterpiece, and an excellent example of what’s possible with video game adaptations.
However, there were some fans that took issue with the final chapter of the League of Legends series, especially the finale, which some felt was rushed.
Linke previously told Dexerto that he wants to “listen and learn” from what people are saying, but also defended the decisions they made, saying every character’s big beat, whether it’s a death or not, “is a consequence of their choices.”
But in Netflix’s Arcane Afterglow for Act 3, the showrunner opened up about Jayce and Viktor’s ending, which saw both characters sacrifice themselves to save humanity.
“To me the Jayce/Viktor ending really, to a certain degree, feels unresolved,” Linke explained.
“Even though there is an understanding for them in the end, I just always feel like more should be said and they should experience more together, but we’re not given the time.”
His comments have been circulating among Arcane fans, with some taking this as an admission that there were behind-the-scenes issues for Season 2.
“Well there it is, now we have official confirmation that even the creator himself isn’t happy with how they had to rush through the finale,” said one on Reddit.
“I think this plus the fact that they were told to cut some Ekko/Jinx dialogue should end most discussions on whether they simply wanted to move on to the next story or if there was some other authority behind this decision.”
They went on to say, “Goddamn when do the studios finally learn? Let the artists do what they can do best. Sure, push them to get an actual product out but don’t rush them into degrading their art just to meet a deadline.
“Most people agree that we needed at least two more episodes. The fans aren’t just simply critical or delusional (most of them at least lol) and the creators certainly knew that this would happen, but those corporate greedbags are just so out of touch.”
Linke, who goes by RiotPraeco on Reddit, has since responded to the criticism, saying he’s “disappointed” in what’s been said.
“Some theories here a bit too far out there,” he wrote. “No, we didn’t ask Fortiche to produce a 1h30 final episode. It’s quite the opposite, our scripts are always shorter than what Fortiche ends up proposing in the storyboard phase.”
“We wanna let them get inspired and roam free, so we can then reel it in while also allowing for the magical moments to find themselves,” Linke continued.
“It’s a tight creative collaboration, not some sort of ‘alright vendor company, do your work, achieve the impossible, but do it quickly!’ – I consider many of the people at Fortiche to be some of my closest friends.
“I find it disappointing that people suggest these things. No, we didn’t get ‘corporate greed’ pressure or anything.”
The co-creator said that while there are always “budget and time” constraints, that’s just a normal part of any job in a creative field and they also “existed during Season 1.”
He pointed out that they have been “EXTREMELY lucky” to get the “insane budgets from Riot”.
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On time constraints, he explained, “There’s a release window that a massive amount of people work towards, not just at Fortiche, but also at Riot on different games, at Netflix, brand partners.
“Even key talent that works on the show that, simply put, is getting tired cranking away at this incredibly long season and project over multiple years. Don’t forget that at the end of the day, this is just a collective of human beings, of people.
“I would assume that there is no other TV show that has taken as long as Arcane to produce two seasons, without any pauses.
“Arcane is unrivaled in sheer scope of high-fidelity animation. I don’t wanna use any of these things as an excuse, but, yeah… this work demands a lot on a human level.”
Linke went on to say that while it’s not perfect, Arcane Season 2 is “amazing. We have made you feel more than you’ve ever felt when watching animated characters.”
He finished by asking, “Has any TV series ever successfully stuck the landing with this many main characters, time travel, supernatural abilities, technological inventions, fantasy world stakes, high concepts, complex relationships, and global expectations?
“I actually don’t know. Would be quite curious to know if folks can think of any, so I can study them.”
Linke’s lengthy response has garnered plenty of discussion, with one Arcane fan explaining that the main issue came down to “screen time management.”
“It was clear that a lot of important and meaningful moments were left to speculation and/or imagination for the spectator, and that made some of the moments of the finale feel a little out of context,” they replied.
“Leaving key moments from the most loved characters out to speculation and then confirming this and that happened off screen made a lot of people feel like they got some context robbed.”
Linke responded to the post by writing, “Well said, and fair points all around. Thanks for expressing that.”
But for the most part, fans have taken Linke’s thoughts on board. “Given the many limitations you all faced in Season 2, I think you guys did extraordinarily well.
“I have my complaints about pacing, screen time, and loss of some character intimacy and other overlooked themes/plots, but choices had to be made and I understand them.”
Another said, “Riot is the lucky one to have such insanely talented artists as you Arcane folks working for them. That 250 million budget? It’s probably the best 250 million Riot has ever spent.
“I think you need to fully realize the scope of what you’ve achieved with Arcane. Despite the ending, it is one of the best TV shows ever made.”
No doubt these pointers will be taken into consideration for future League of Legends shows that are currently in development.
For more on Arcane, read about whether Jinx really died in the finale, Season 2’s alternate ending, the Jhin fan theory, and our ranking of the most powerful Arcane characters.
