There will be fewer Arcane spin-off shows released than some have expected.
Fans were shocked in the lead-up to Arcane Season 2, as Netflix announced the animated League of Legends series would be coming to an end. To soften the blow, this news came with the reveal that despite Arcane ending after Season 2, multiple spin-off projects were planned set in the League world.
The exact specifics of these spin-offs have remained shrouded in secrecy since then, with the Arcane team letting Season 2 of the series take the spotlight for the time being.
Less Arcane Spin-Offs Than Expected
A disappointing update has hampered excitement after fans got their hopes up over the prospect of multiple spin-offs set for release after Arcane Season 2.
In an appearance on a Twitch stream with popular League of Legends creator Necrit94, co-creator Christian Linke described, what many assumed to be, work being done on three projects set within the Arcane world in the Noxus, Ionia, and Demecia regions:
"Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia are getting shows and are [the] next steps into this cinematic universe.... [The] next series is already in development for about a year."
Fans took this to mean that at least three new spin-offs were in the works following Arcane's release, but that does not seem to be the case.
Riot Games co-founder (the studio behind League of Legends) Marc Merrill updated fans on Linke's comments, posting on X (formerly Twitter) that he "didn’t say 3 separate shows," but rather, "exploring 3 regions:"
"To clarify, he didn’t say 3 separate shows - said exploring 3 regions. We are exploring a bunch of different shows (and games)."
That is not to say there will only be one show set within the Arcane universe. Merrill even uses the words "a bunch," to describe the amount of projects in the works. It just means there only seems to be one that they are actively making progress on and not three like what was previously assumed.
When Will The Arcane Spin-Off Release?
Now, with Arcane Season 2 in the rearview, the sights of fans will start to turn to these new spin-offs that are being referenced by the series' creative team.
This first one, which Linke teased will focus on Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia is - according to the Arcane co-creator - already a year into development.
The spinoff on Noxus seems the most likely given the events of Arcane Season 2. The show will likely focus on Mel Medarda, as she is from Noxus and was given a power-up at the end of Season 2. The villain is likely to be Swain, a champion from the League of Legends video game who seeks a new vision for Noxus and has ties to the Black Rose.
While Season 1 of Arcane famously took roughly six years to get off the ground, fans will likely not have to wait nearly as long for any potential spin-offs. Audiences likely can expect a similar development/production pipeline to Arcane Season 2.
Season 2, officially started production in November 2021 (shortly after the release of Season 1), finally being released three years later in November 2024.
If this Arcane spin-off is already a year into development, then a release sometime two years from Season 2's end feels about right.
That would put the first spin-off's release date sometime in late 2026 or early 2027 if it were to stick to that same three-year development cycle.
Beyond that, it is a massive question of what is next for the critically acclaimed animated franchise, but as confirmed by Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill, there are "a bunch" of titles fans can look forward to.
Arcane Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
