Riot Games Invests in Animation Studio Behind Netflix’s ‘Arcane’
The game developer has collaborated with Fortiche a handful of times over the years.
Riot Games has invested in its collaborator, Paris-based 3D animation studio Fortiche Production. Under the supervision of Riot Games, the French studio produced 2021’s critically acclaimed League of Legends spin-off series, Arcane. The show’s viewership, which counts both LoL fans and those who have never played the game, even set the record as Netflix‘s highest-rated series within a week of premiering on the streamer.
Now, Riot Games has made an equity investment in Fortiche, giving it a “significant” but non-controlling stake in the studio. Two of Riot Games’ own, Chief Content Officer Brian Wright and Director of Corporate Development Brendan Mulligan, have joined Fortiche’s board of directors. Aside from its board, Fortiche will still remain “operationally independent” from Riot.
“Fortiche has been an integral partner for a long time, but this agreement ensures we’ll be working closely for decades to come,” Riot CEO Nicolo Laurent said in a press statement. “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,” he continued.
In addition to their current work on season two of Arcane, the two studios have teamed up in the past for projects such as making the LoL World Championship anthem “Rise” and a 2013 music video for “Get Jinxed,” broadcasting the launch of LoL’s Jinx.
In other gaming news, the Harry Potter spin-off game Hogwarts Legacy will host a State of Play stream for PlayStation users.
