League of Legends is the largest PC game in the world, is enjoyed by millions of people, and has generated over $20 billion in revenue over its 10-year lifetime. It has no story mode in the game, allowing Riot and partner studio Fortiche Productions a unique space to create the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed Arcane animated series. To show players that Arcane was truly made for them, Riot turned Hollywood tradition upside down, throwing a never-before seen global Twitch premiere experience for its gaming community, building spaces for them to own the moment and drive the conversation.

Hollywood has failed, time and again, to recreate the storytelling secret sauce of beloved videogame franchises. And gamers have spoken: they’re fed up with their favorite worlds becoming cash-grab casualties of an industry that doesn’t prioritize them.

So when Riot chose to make a TV show based on the largest PC game in the world, not only did Arcane have to deliver on years of players asking for deeper story immersion—it had to prove to hundreds of millions of fans that a game adaptation could work at all. The premiere was the kick off to Arcane, and it was critically important to set the tone that this TV show wasn't for the masses, but for the players. To do so, Riot broke the rules of a Hollywood premiere, throwing a celebration that focused on its millions of players around the world.

In 2022, over 1.4 billion hours of League of Legends content was consumed on Twitch. In order to achieve its goals of massive viewership and social buzz, we realized that we needed to find a way to go viral with League’s core audience, who would then amplify hype and excitement for the rest of the world. We had to create a whole new approach to launching a TV show in a way that inspired League’s most hardcore fans, who know everything about the game and spend hours theorycrafting about what could come next.

Our solution was an industry first: a global, live-streamed premiere on Twitch that empowered a shared community celebration. Free of barriers, subscriptions, or spoilers, the premiere was a “can’t miss” moment for fans to come together and celebrate the spectacular evolution of their favorite IP.

At the World Premiere of Arcane, Riot gave players a glimpse of a future where their favorite video game adaptations debut exactly as they would hope. One that trades exclusive guest lists and black-tie dress codes for a front-row experience for all. The premiere broke Hollywood traditions and ushered in a digital-first event that brought together its passionate communities, putting players first and opening the velvet rope to anyone who was interested in joining the celebration.

Players could watch from the comfort of their own homes, while still being connected online with friends, celebrating the arrival of an IP they’ve come to know and love through playing games together. Over 5,000 influencers, who have made meaningful careers through playing League of Legends, broadcast themselves watching the show, experiencing it together with their millions of fans around the world.

We designed every detail of the premiere with the passionate gamer in mind. On Riot’s campus, a Covid-conscious red carpet experience prioritized streamers, who had their own broadcast booths to give their fans and viewers a live window into the event. At home, fans could choose from an endless channel list of premiere viewing options. They could tune in to any of the 5,000+ co-streaming channels on Twitch and watch the episodes with their favorite celebrities and personalities, or watch the official premiere stream complete with interviews with cast members, show creators, and game developers.

Viewers could choose their own adventure, watch with friends, and even earn in-game rewards for tuning in on Twitch. It was the first Netflix show to premiere with unlocked co-streaming, truly democratizing the typical elitist Hollywood Premiere by prioritizing a shared viewing experience for Riot’s global playerbase.

The Arcane Premiere drew over 8 million global viewers online and reached the #1 category on Twitch, nearly 4 times the popularity of the Game of Thrones premiere. It also hit #1 on Netflix in over 50 countries and achieved a rare 100% critics score and 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Throughout the show’s release, over 10 million hours of Arcane content was viewed on Twitch alone, and related social content drove over 130 million views on owned channels. Empowering fans paid off in a major way, with UGC driving over 2 billion views on TikTok alone.

Social buzz and viewership funneled players into a watch/play cycle that saw over 3 billion hours of Riot games played in November 2021—over 3 times the average number of hours played by American gamers. This is the equivalent of the entire global population playing Riot's games for 22.7 minutes.

Gamers are coming for Hollywood. They’re starved for authentic experiences that honor the emotional investment they made before anyone else had a reason to care. They want nuance—not mass market appeal.

To ensure Arcane would deliver where others have failed, Riot developed it in-house, crafting the series over six painstaking years to make sure every plotline, voice actor, and Easter egg were perfectly placed to surprise and delight millions of fans around the world. The effort culminated in Arcane’s debut, the most accessible and fan-centered premiere in gaming entertainment history.