Netflix's Arcane Just Made Emmy History In More Ways Than One
Movies that adapt video games have, historically, had a tendency to miss the mark, neither appealing to hardcore fans nor general audiences. Of course, everybody remembers the maligned "Super Mario Bros." movie, which took a lighthearted fantasy game about saving a princess and turned it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland with a message of environmental preservation, but at least that film actually tried to do something interesting — far more than can be said for the lackluster efforts of Uwe Boll, like "Postal" and "House of the Dead."
In recent years, though, this trend has been slowly whittled away, thanks to some fantastic video game movies and shows. Netflix is leading the charge into video game adaptations that are accessible for those without any previous experience, while at the same time being chock-full of esoteric knowledge that gamers have memorized during long play sessions. Between shows like "Castlevania," "Dota: Dragon's Blood," and "Arcane," Netflix is certainly capitalizing on that coveted 18-35 demographic.
"Arcane" is particularly interesting, though. Based on "League of Legends" — an immensely popular massive online battle arena that sees two teams of five attempting to destroy the other teams' towers and main base, which is called the Nexus – "Arcane" isn't afraid to dive deep into Hextech, Piltover, and some of the sprawling cast from the video game, while still crafting a world that even new fans can latch onto.
Now, "Arcane" has taken home an Emmy, and this win is probably more significant than one might think.
Arcane is breaking Emmy records
According to Deadline, "Arcane" has taken home an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, which is the first time a streaming exclusive show has ever manage to win the prestigious award.
While picking up the award, "Arcane" co-creator Christian Linke said, "It's a big deal for us as we come from video games. It's been amazing to see the world embrace our characters and our stories so thanks to Netflix who believed in us from the beginning, thanks to Riot Games, who worked on the whole IP — and to all the people that have been with our game and 'League of Legends' for the last 12 years or so who helped make it as big as it is now."
Besides being the first streaming exclusive show to win the Outstanding Animated Program award (it was up against Disney's Marvel series "What If...?") "Arcane" is special because it is the first time a video game adaptation has been received so well. This makes sense, considering that "Arcane" still maintains an impeccable score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, despite the fact that the show has been out for a while.
Most video game adaptations can get bogged down with exposition, or jarring plot shifts, but "Arcane" keeps its focus on a story of two sisters and groups of people in and around Piltover, as they figure out their spot in the magical, yet brutal world. It is this fact that has helped catapult "Arcane" into award-winning territory — a first for its kind. Hopefully, this could turn the tide for future video game adaptations, as well.