League of Legends has confirmed that the official canon of Runeterra is being rebooted and the stories told in Arcane will be folded into that canon.
The Netflix animated show Arcane became the introduction into the world of League of Legends for many viewers. Viewers were entranced by the story that featured LoL champions like Jinx, Vi, Jayce, Caitlyn, Heimerdinger, and Ekko in prominent roles.
A second season of Arcane, which is tentatively set to premiere next year, is highly anticipated by fans of the game and show. But it may be even more important for LoL fans to watch now.
The canon of League is changing and, according to the development team, Arcane will be a centerpiece of that change.
Arcane’s story will be official League of Legends canon
In a recent video, the League developers confirmed that the lore team is taking a look at the messy continuity behind all the champions. The devs acknowledged that, in the past, in-game events and cinematics have been disjointed, with players unsure whether they fit into the official canon or not.
But Riot is taking steps to correct these inconsistencies.
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“Going forward, from today, all new storytelling is going to be part of one shared canon. Rather than a jumble of experiences that are similar, but inconsistent,” the head of IP Creative Laura DeYong stated.
.@RiotBrightmoon and @RiotMeddler are back with updates on lore📚, Quickplay⚔️, Blue Essence Emporium💎, and language select🌏.And @neolexical gives us a sneak peak at some new champs 🎨🔥and everyone's favorite scorpion🦂. pic.twitter.com/q2BC44K2je
— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) October 12, 2023
In the video, the devs mentioned those cinematics, short stories, Riot Forge games, and seasonal events as storytelling opportunities that will be consistent to the now-established canon. But they also mentioned Arcane.
Head of League studios Riot Meddler confirmed on Reddit that “Arcane is canon. League is also in that same canon.” when asked about where the series stands in relation to the updated lore.
Riot was quick to assure fans that this would not be a sudden, massive shift in the lore, but rather an iterative update process that would take some time. This change also does not mean that all existing canon is being erased, but rather that Riot is going to ensure that the inconsistencies are smoothed out and no further breaks in the canon occur going forward.
The response has been widely praised by League players, who have spent tons of time scouring short stories and other media trying to figure out the origins of their favorite champions.