No, unfortunately, Arcane Season 3 is not happening, not this year, and not anytime in the near future. As heartbreaking as it is for fans who’ve fallen in love with the world of Piltover and Fencethe story was always meant to wrap up with just two seasons. As much as we’d love to see new chapters unfold, for now, all we can do is rewatch, relive the magic, and maybe whisper a little prayer for a miracle for a third season down the line.
Will Arcane season 3 release this year?
When Arcane first came out on Netflix in 2021, it really caught people off guard, in a good way. People were surprised not just because the show was amazing, but because it finally proved something most fans had stopped believing: that a video game could be turned into a great TV show. And not just any game, it brought the world of League of Legends (one of the most popular games ever made by Riot Games) to life in a way nobody expected.
Season 1 didn’t just do well, it blew up. It even won Emmys (the Oscars of TV), which is a huge deal. So when Netflix revealed that Season 2 would be the final season, fans were shocked. Like, already? That’s it?
This announcement came in June 2024 (a year ago), at the same time they dropped the first trailer for Season 2, about five months before the new episodes were set to release. Everyone, including fans and critics, absolutely loved Season 1. People especially praised the animation, which was made by a super-talented studio in Paris called Fortiche. So hearing that it was all ending soon felt unexpected and kind of sad.
But here’s the twist: Netflix didn’t cancel the show early like it often does with others. This was actually the plan from the very beginning; Arcane was always meant to be just two seasons long.
One of the show’s creators, Christian Linke, told Variety that Arcane is just the first step in a bigger plan. It’s the beginning of a much larger storytelling journey with Fortiche (the animation studio), not the end. He explained that from day one, they had a clear ending in mind. So Season 2 will be the proper conclusion of this specific story, and it’s exactly how they wanted it to go. But the universe of Runeterra (the world of League of Legends) still has lots of other stories it wants to tell later.
In today’s world, where tons of shows get cancelled too soon or end with unfinished stories, it’s kind of refreshing to hear that Arcane is ending because it was always meant to. No last-minute cuts. No rushed wrap-ups. Just a story ending the way it was meant to, and giving fans a complete, satisfying experience.
In another interview with CinemaBlendLinke went into more detail. He said they always had one clear story in their heads. Sure, they could have dragged it out longer, but they didn’t want to. He pointed out that sometimes writers just run out of energy or fresh ideas if they keep going for too long, and that’s not fun for anyone. He and the team have been working on these characters for nine years already, and they didn’t want to push it to the point where the quality drops or the story feels forced.
He said it simply: this is the story they wanted to tell, from beginning to end. Stretching it just for the sake of more episodes would’ve felt wrong and unfair to the characters, the fans, and even to themselves as creators.
Is Arcane getting a season 3?
Even though it’s nice to hear that Arcane is ending the way it was always meant to, some fans might still be a little confused. Why? A while back, Variety (a popular entertainment site) reported that the show was supposed to have five seasons. That made people wonder: did Netflix or Riot Games change their minds because of money? After all, making Arcane wasn’t cheap; it reportedly cost around $250 million to produce and promote the show.
To clear things up, Arcane creators Christian Linke and Alex Yee talked to Techradar. Linke said clearly: the five-season plan was never real.
He explained that once they finished making the pilot (the first test episode), that’s when they sat down and decided the full story would only need two seasons. There was never a plan to stretch it out to five.
So, where did that five-season rumour come from?
Turns out it all started as a joke. Riot’s former CEO, Nicolo Laurent, once called Linke into a room and said, “You haven’t been approved for a full season yet… and I’ve decided I’m not going to give it to you.” Linke was stunned, until Nicolo added, “Because I’m greenlighting five seasons!” They both laughed. It wasn’t serious, just a cheeky way to show support and excitement.
Yee added that this comment was more about encouragement than any actual plan. He explained that animated shows take forever to make, so asking Riot to trust them with even one full season was a big deal. They also told Riot that if they wanted Season 2 to come out quickly after Season 1, they’d have to start working on it while still finishing the first season. So that “five seasons” thing was really just the execs saying: “We believe in you, go big!”
So yeah, Arcane was never officially going to be five seasons long. That’s not happening. But that doesn’t mean the world of Arcane is done.
Remember what Linke said? Arcane is just the start of the stories they want to tell in the Runeterra universe (that’s the name of the world in League of Legends). There’s so much more lore and drama still waiting to be explored.
And because the animation from studio Fortiche got so much love, it’s very likely that future shows from this universe will be made by them too, to keep that same amazing look and vibe.
Story-wise, nothing new has been officially announced yet. But League of Legends has tons of powerful stories and characters, like The Harrowing of the Shadow Isles or The Ruined King, that fans are dying to see turned into shows. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another three years like we did between Arcane Season 1 and 2!
So, is there no hope for Arcane or Runeterra universe?
Even though Arcane has officially wrapped up, Netflix and Riot Games aren’t done telling stories from the League of Legends universe just yet. There are more projects in the pipeline, and some of them will focus on other parts of the world of Runeterra. One of these places is Noxuswhich you might’ve seen teased in a new trailer.
But before fans get too excited, Riot Games made sure to clear up some confusion. That cool cinematic video showing Noxus? It’s not meant to be the start of a new TV series.
Andrei van Roon, a senior VP at Riot, explained on Reddit that the trailer was created to set the tone and themes for Noxus this season, but only in the game and game- content. It’s not meant to lead into a show or movie (at least for now). Of course, he didn’t say there won’t ever be a show connected to it, but that wasn’t the point of this video.
Still, Arcane fans are hungry for more, so anything from the world of Runeterra is exciting at this point.
Outside of the shows, Riot also dropped some cool news for the actual League of Legends game. Mel Medarda, the powerful and elegant character from Arcane, is officially becoming a playable champion this season! Players will be able to unlock her by completing in-game missions.
And for fans who want to dive deeper into her backstory, especially her complicated relationship with her mother Ambessa, there’s more good news: Riot is releasing a novel called Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf, which will explore their story in more depth.
Arcane season 3 release date
Where to watch Arcane?
Both seasons of Arcane, Season 1 and the brand-new Season 2, are now streaming on Netflix. So if you haven’t jumped in yet (or want to rewatch the whole thing with fresh eyes), now’s the perfect time!
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