Arcane’s Showrunner Addresses Season 2 Pacing Concerns: Striving for the Perfect Story Balance

Many fans have expressed that the second season of Arcane, especially towards the end, felt somewhat rushed. Christian Linke, the show’s showrunner, has shared his perspective on these criticisms.

Arcane is undeniably stunning to watch, but it’s hard to ignore that the storyline in the second season seemed quite scattered. There were numerous plotlines that could have used an entire extra season to develop properly. In a recent chat with GamesRadar, Christian Linke addressed concerns from fans about the show’s pacing. He mentioned, “When people watched season 1, there was a certain rhythm… but season 2 diverges from that,” acknowledging the pacing differences.

He went on to say, “I respect that people voice their opinions. The majority of viewers seem to be satisfied. But yes, there are those who feel, ‘It’s rushed. Why?’” GamesRadar highlighted that a major draw for the original season was how the characters’ relationships gradually evolved, a dynamic that felt somewhat hurried in the second installment. Linke admitted that the creative team approached season 2 differently to take some creative risks.

“For many, it worked well, but others who wanted more of a continuation from season one felt let down,” he noted. Additionally, the challenge of introducing more characters from the League of Legends universe was evident. While there were complaints about it being too crowded, others wished for more characters.

“There are those who say it’s too chaotic, and conversely, some ask about missing characters like Camille or Blitzcrank. It’s tricky to balance, but we tried to incorporate the right amount of story,” Linke explained.

To me, it seems Arcane could’ve benefited from another season, though the cost of producing both seasons explains its concise narrative. Nonetheless, with more projects on the horizon from Riot in the multimedia space, they likely felt the need to conclude this chapter differently.