'That was never the plan': Arcane creators dismiss claims that the hit Netflix show was going to run for five seasons

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Exclusive: 'Five seasons was nothing but tomfoolery on our part'

A close up of Jinx and Vi screaming and aiming punches at each other in Arcane season 2
Arcane was always going to end after two seasons, its creators have confirmed (Image credit: Netflix)
  • Arcane's creators have revealed the truth about the hit show's rumored five-season plan
  • It was always going to end after two seasons, despite what a recent report claims
  • The rumor was born out of a prank pulled on co-showrunner Christian Linke years ago

Arcane's creators have dismissed reports that the hugely successful show was originally going to run for five seasons.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar before Arcane season 2 makes its Netflix debut on November 9, Christian Linke and Alex Yee said the situation had been blown out of proportion. Indeed, the pair admitted it was all just a simple misunderstanding, with its origins stemming from a prank that former Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent pulled on Linke years ago.

Linke and Yee's response comes hot on the heels of a Variety article published on November 6. Citing sources close to the Netflix series' production, the outlet suggested that Arcane was originally going to run for five seasons. Unsurprisingly, the story spread like wildfire across the internet, leading to fans – myself included – to ask why Riot and Netflix had decided to call time on Arcane after two seasons.

A close up shot of Jinx looking down at an off-screen Vi in Arcane season 2 episode 3

We're not laughing about this, either, Jinx... (Image credit: Netflix)

As it happens, Arcane season 2 was always going to be the hit animated show's final chapter – Linke telling me that a two-season arc was settled on "from the beginning". And, as Linke and Yee went on to explain, Vi and Jinx's story was always going to be concluded after two seasons.

"When we started building out the story after the pilot [that we showed internally at Riot], that's when we were like 'Okay, it's going to be two seasons,'" Linke revealed. "It was never the plan for it to last five seasons.

It's almost the opposite of what people have interpreted it to be

Alex Yee, Arcane co-creator

"But, what happened was – I think we had the pilot or a few episodes, but we still hadn't had the green light for a full season. At the time, Nicolo thought it would be really funny to pull me into a room and say 'Hey, I know you haven't had the green light yet, and I decided I'm not going to give it to you'. I sat there, looking pretty upset, before he added 'Because I'm giving you the go-ahead for five seasons!'. We both laughed but it was, you know –"

"It's almost the opposite of what people have interpreted it [the five-season rumor] to be," Yee interjected. "Making an animated series – it has such a long development pipeline that it was a lot for us to ask them [Riot's executive team] to trust us with one season. But we also said 'If you want there to be another season soon after that, we need to start working on it while we're finishing the first one'. So, that five-season joke was their way of saying 'Hey, we want to give you a lot of runway with this.'"

"Yeah, then we said 'okay, it's going to be two, and then we'll grow from there,'" Linke added.

That "we'll grow from there" quote still suggests that there may have been talk of another installment, though. So, were there any discussions about stretching out season 2's original plot across two more entries? After all, a similar approach is being taken by HBO regarding its TV adaptation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2 video game, whose story will span The Last of Us season 2 and a sequel season.

"Honestly, the story that's concluding with this season is the one we plotted out from the get-go with the rest of the team," Yee confirmed. "I think we imagined ways that it could go beyond that, but one more season was the milestone we always wanted to hit."

"Long story short," Linke added, "five seasons was nothing but tomfoolery on our part."

I'll be bringing you more exclusive content from my chat with one of the best Netflix shows' showrunners in the days and weeks ahead, so check back in with me soon for further insights. In the meantime, read some of the other season 2-focused articles I've written before Arcane's return on the world's best streaming service below.

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Tom Power
Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.