League of Legends developer and publisher Riot Games revealed it made an equity investment in Fortiche Production, the animation studio behind Arcane.
Arcane is an animation series on Netflix, which is based upon the game League of Legends.
Netflix recently acquires the mobile game developer Next Games For $71 million.
Riot Games didn’t disclose the amount of money it invested, but it claims to have a ‘significant non-controlling stake’ in Fortiche.
With offices and teams working in Paris (France), Montpellier (France), and Las Palmas (Spain), Fortiche Production has 350 employees.
“Fortiche has been an integral partner for a long time, but this agreement ensures we’ll be working closely for decades to come,” said Riot CEO Nicolo Laurent. “We hold a high bar for everyone we work with and insist they understand players deeply and focus on them relentlessly, and from day one, Fortiche has exemplified player experience first. In working with Fortiche, we collaborate to push the boundaries of what’s possible and raise expectations for how games can be represented in media. As proud as we are of Arcane, we know the best is yet to come.”
“The various collaborations with Riot Games, and especially Arcane, have made Fortiche Production a new major player on the international animation scene. Riot Games, by trusting us, has given us the means to achieve our common ambitions and has shown that it is possible to offer new content that can reach a large audience. In 2023, we will celebrate ten years of collaboration: there is no better way to symbolize the trust and ambitions of our two companies than this association,” said Pascal Charrue, Jérôme Combe, and Arnaud Delord, co-founders of Fortiche.
As per the agreement, Fortiche Production will continue to function as a distinct business entity, while two Riot Games executives will be joining the company’s board of directors.
Riot announced that Brian Wright, the company’s chief content officer, and Brendan Mulligan, director of corporate development at Riot, have been added to Fortiche’s board of directors.
Riot Games and Fortiche have collaborated on providing incredible gaming experiences for more than a decade, first collaborating on the music video “Get Jinxed” to commemorate the debut of League legend Jinx.
Riot worked with Fortiche through the early ideation and storyboard creation of Arcane, and the company has been a valuable collaborator during the show’s production.
Riot Games and Fortiche Production are currently working on Arcane Season 2, as well as other to-be-announced projects.
In November 2021, Arcane debuted at #1 on Netflix worldwide and held the top spot for three weeks in a row. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a perfect 100 percent critics’ score. In addition, the series just won nine Annie Awards, making it the most nominated and rewarded TV show of the year.
In other news, Indian gaming streaming platform Loco secured $42 million in a Series A funding round led by blockchain firm Hashed. Loco intends to use the investment to realize its aspiration of building the “Twitch for India.”
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