Arcane was a disaster and a function of IP narcissism

Yes, Arcane was a disaster and a function of IP narcissism. It’s transmedia bingo 18 different ways.

From the Bloomberg exposé:
• Riot spent about $250 million on two seasons of the series
• Four people with knowledge of Arcane’s production said the company didn’t have a robust plan to recoup the cost of the show before it launched.
• Riot believed the show would be the first of many produced by its new entertainment division, which would transform the Los Angeles-based company into the next Walt Disney Co.
• Netflix paid Riot $3 million an episode and Tencent an additional $3 million for the rights to show it in China.
• Those payments amounted to less than half the total cost.
• The company scaled back its Hollywood ambitions recently, ending Arcane and pausing development on other adaptations.
• The pricey passion project, backed by former Chief Executive Officer Nicolo Laurent, sapped precious resources from League of Legends, Riot’s most important business.