Some fans have expressed that the second season of Arcane, especially as it approached its conclusion, seemed a bit rushed. Showrunner Christian Linke recently addressed these concerns.
Arcane is undeniably visually stunning, but if we’re being honest, its narrative seemed somewhat scattered in its sophomore outing. The sheer number of storylines felt overwhelming, almost begging for an additional season to develop them adequately. In a recent chat with GamesRadar, Christian Linke shed light on the fans’ pacing concerns. “When people watch season 1, there’s an aspect to the pacing… season 2 is a bit different in that regard,” he explained.
He acknowledged the feedback, saying, “I respect that people express that [opinion]. You’re right – the vast majority of the audience seems to be happy. But there are people who say, ‘It’s rushed. What’s going on?'” GamesRadar pointed out that a substantial part of the first season’s charm lay in the evolving relationships between characters. This time around, however, many felt the storytelling raced to a finish. Linke conceded that they approached season two’s structure differently, aiming to take creative risks.
“For most people, that approach seems to resonate well,” Linke observed. “Some viewers yearned for the seamless continuation from season one, and it’s disappointing for those who felt let down. While I’m not thrilled about their dissatisfaction, I understand where they’re coming from.” The challenge also surfaced with trying to incorporate more characters from the League of Legends universe, a feat they couldn’t entirely accomplish. This led to a curious contradiction: while some thought the show overreached, others clamored for more.
“There are people who say it’s too rushed, too much going on. There’s also the flip side. I see like, ‘Where’s Camille? She’s part of Piltover. Where’s Blitzcrank? Where’s Twitch? Why didn’t you include them?'” Linke mused. Balancing this narrative scale is undoubtedly tough. “On the one side, you have people saying it’s too much. On the other, you have people wishing we did more. We did our best… It’s hard. We’re doing our best to include the right amount of story.”
In my view, Arcane could have benefited from an extra season, offering ample room to breathe. However, given the substantial production costs of both seasons, it’s clear why the series wrapped up as it did. On the bright side, Riot seems primed to deliver more content across various media, meaning more stories for fans to dive into in the future.
