"There are always constraints, both in budget and time."
Netflix
Arcane is a superb show with several strong plotlines and fantastic animations. The grand finale amazed most viewers, I'm sure, but some criticized Season 2 for being too rushed, and I have to agree.
While he admitted that he'd like more time to tie everything up nicely, the series' co-creator Christian Linke couldn't ignore fans' heated discussions and went to Reddit to clear some things up (thanks, PC Gamer).
"Some theories here a bit too far out there," he said. "No, we didn't ask Fortiche to produce a 1h30 final episode. It's quite the opposite, our scripts are always shorter than what Fortiche ends up proposing in the story board phase. We wanna let them get inspired and roam free, so we can then reel it in while also allowing for the magical moments to find themselves. It's a tight creative collaboration, not some sort of "alright vendor company, do your work, achieve the impossible, but do it quickly!" – I consider many of the people at Fortiche to be some of my closest friends. I find it disappointing that people suggest these things."
"No, we didn't get 'corporate greed' pressure or anything," he added – a fair assumption from some viewers. So if everything was so fine, why didn't we get an hour more, as planned before?
Because there are always constraints, "both in budget and time," according to Linke, and the creators had to work under them.
"Constraints are NORMAL, and they were always generous, and I always had final say on anything creative. But they do exist."
While he'd like more time, the team didn't have it for several reasons, including the budget, which Linke admits was already generous.
"Time being the other constraint. There's a release window that a massive amount of people work towards, not just at Fortiche, but also at Riot on different games, at Netflix, brand partners. Even key talent that works on the show that, simply put, is getting tired cranking away at this incredibly long season and project over multiple years. Don't forget that at the end of the day, this is just a collective of human beings, of people."
Netflix
Overall, Linke is happy with what Arcane made fans feel and how much it showed. It's an incredible show with well-developed characters and story arcs.
"It's not perfect. You don't take these types of hefty swings and expect that everything wraps up perfectly with a neat bow tie. It grows and evolves in its own way, and it becomes what it becomes."
Linke has been pretty vocal about Arcane after its final release, so we'll most likely hear more exciting information about it. Or you can buy The Art and Making of Arcane – an artbook with some behind-the-scenes glimpses to make your Arcane withdrawal easier.
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