
Riot has dabbled with the world of virtual, interactive concerts, but he is also content to let others try to establish what such a digital metaverse-like space can look like and is willing to bring “League” content there.

Today, sitting in a communal space that doubles as a video game museum - Merrill is flanked by six televisions of different eras as well as at least one copy of every video game console ever made - he’s at ease forecasting where the game business and Riot is heading. Last year, in an interview with The Times he frankly discussed the company’s “soul searching” and the actions it has taken to restore the confidence of its staff and the industry. Merrill, who since 2006 has helped turn the company into a video game behemoth while also attempting to weather a cultural crisis of legal accusations concerning workplace and sexual harassment, has opinions on both issues. See the potential for persistent online worlds such as the so-called metaverse, or how an NFT, which stands for nonfungible token, can transform the game universe, essentially by creating ownable virtual items or leading to play-to-earn models. Topics and debates that dominated gaming in recent weeks have been more tech-focused. I kept tabs where the share of hours was going - TikTok, social media - but the big one was games. “It was pretty clear for us that gaming hours, as a percentage of overall hours, were growing in extraordinary amounts,” Spenley says of her decision to leave her vice president role at Netflix and come to Riot. Ultimately, it’s everyone else that’s trying to look like Riot, to create intellectual property - IP in shareholder-speak - built on environments in which players and viewers alike will watch, interact and live, both in physical and digital realms. The Netflix-distributed show will join the streamer’s stable of video game-focused content, appealing, Riot hopes, to the same audience that has embraced “Castlevania,” another adult-focused, anime-inspired adaptation.
#Arcane online mystery serial 1 walkthrough tv
It’s not Riot that’s pivoting with its TV show “Arcane,” which was built over six somewhat stressful years.

After soul searching, Riot Games has ‘Valorant’ and new idealism. And at the end of last year, it named longtime Netflix executive Shauna Spenley to lead the company’s foray into film and television and to oversee a department that includes a division dedicated to story-driven games that expand the “League of Legends” brand beyond its competitive, hardcore gamer roots.Įntertainment & Arts After ‘bro culture’ crisis, ‘League of Legends’ esports ruler Riot touts new game, new outlookįirst came esport mega-hit ‘League of Legends,’ then an identity crisis. pop charts and staged augmented reality-enhanced concerts. The studio has created virtual bands that have topped the U.S. “League of Legends,” of course, has long been among the most popular esports on the planet, a recognizable franchise embraced even by luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton, and this month, thanks to its launch of “Arcane,” “Fortnite.” If you want a glimpse of the future of interactive-focused storytelling, look at how Riot has handled “League of Legends.” We can add on the great capabilities that other creators can have, but we cannot sacrifice the love, the attention to detail and the historical knowledge and perspective that Rioters have.” That is a fundamental part of the equation. “We concluded that no one is going to care to the same degree as Rioters. Merrill says their deep understanding of the company gave them an advantage: “If you don’t fully appreciate the journey our players have been on with these characters, there are risks it can feel, in all sorts of subtle ways, inauthentic.
