The voice of Arcane's Ekko is discussing the future of his character following the confirmation that the series' production team is actively working on potential spin-off series. The Netflix animated series was an adaptation of Riot Games' League of Legends online multiplayer game, which ran for two seasons on Netflix from 2021 to 2024 and featured the voice talents of Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, and Harry Lloyd. Arcane's popularity quickly fuelled hopes for a continuation, and co-creator Christian Linke revealed that the team was "pretty aggressively developing" several Arcane spin-off ideas in 2024.
During an interview with The Direct for his upcoming movie Splash City, Reed Shannon, who voices the time-manipulating rebel Ekko in Arcane, revealed how he has continued to portray the character in Riot's projects after the show's ending and his ideas for Riot's next Arcane-like project.
"The team told me this is something that will last probably the rest of your life," Shannon shared, adding that he was going to record new lines for Ekko later that week. The actor said that Riot Games has "so many different plans" for the franchise's future, and that when he returns to record voice lines for Ekko, he "[doesn't] know what part of the League of Legends universe" it could be for.
The actor remained hopeful that the reports of a spin-off would develop into something further, adding "I hope that one day we see an Echo and Jinx story:"
"You know, I won't say that it's not possible. I think that Riot is such a massive company. They have so many different plans [...] I'm going back on Friday to record more Ekko... But it's Ekko for, I don't know what part of the 'League of Legends' universe, you know?
So, for me... whenever we talk about Arcane or talk about spinoff possibilities, I'm like, 'Yo, go find all of the different voice lines.' You'll get a whole movie of Ekko spinoffs. But I think at some point... When I signed on to do 'Arcane' for the first time, the team told me this is something that will last probably the rest of your life. And I hope that one day we see an Echo and Jinx story..."
Following Linke's comments about future spin-off shows, Arcane fans have been eagle-eyed for any possible announcement. Shortly after Arcane's ending, a "Welcome to Noxus" short featuring animation from Fortiche (Arcane's animation studio) introduced one of the Netflix series' original characters, Mel Medarda, into League of Legends.
Several Arcane characters have also had a second life in Riot's 2XKO fighting game that is set in the fictional Runeterra universe. But while Arcane's impact on Riot's video games continues, there hasn't been any more news about the supposed spin-offs.
Shannon shared his hopes for a potential Arcane spin-off that would focus on Ekko and Jinx's story, potentially following "Ekko going through multiverses searching for Jinx."
The two characters underwent a tragic story in Arcane after an alternate universe saw a romance bloom between Ekko and Power (Jinx's alter ego), only for the Season 2 finale to destroy any potential follow-up to their relationship in the main universe. New Ekko and Jinx content did come after Arcane's conclusion in the form of a music video, but many, including Shannon, still hold out hope for more of their story.
Shannon also shared an alternate idea for an Arcane spin-off, which would focus on Ekko and Heimerdinger "teaching kids how to build things." The two characters were known for their inventions in Arcane, and teamed up in Season 2 before Heimerdinger met a tragic fate:
"Or, I want to see a kids television show where Ekko and Heimerdinger are building things and teaching kids how to build things. I think that that would be super dope."
What's Happening With Riot's Arcane Spin-Offs?
Over 18 months have passed since reports of Arcane spin-offs came out, and Riot has not announced anything further nor put any shows into production. Riot continues work on League of Legends and 2XKO, while Fortiche added several other animated projects to its slate.
The last fans heard, Linke narrowed down several directions an Arcane spin-off could take. "Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia are getting shows and are [the] next steps in this cinematic universe," the creator shared during an interview in 2024.
The characters of Piltover and Zaun are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the League of Legends universe, and it seems that Riot would want to focus on the expansive world of Runeterra rather than returning to familiar characters from Arcane.
There were also rumors (via Insider Gaming) of a live-action League of Legends TV project scouting filming locations in Vietnam in 2025, with plans for a nine-episode series to be filmed in the Cát Bà Archipelago starting at the end of 2025. However, that timeline has since passed, and there's been no further word of this live-action project going into production.
While the wait for news on an Arcane spin-off has been frustrating, it's not out of the ordinary. Arcane's first season took almost six years from conception to release, followed by another three years for Season 2. Despite Linke's confirmation that spin-off ideas are in development, it could take several more years for the team to land on a concept and story for its next Arcane spin-off.
