Netflix already has a replacement series for Arcane in the works, and it could recreate one of the best things about the hit show and Jinx and Vi’s story. Arcane quickly became one of the best shows on Netflix when it was released in 2021. It had everything a great show needs, from strong and compelling main characters, a deep and interesting supporting cast, an intricate fantasy world, and more. It’s easy to consider Arcane lightning in a bottle, but Netflix has done the same to another game adaptation in the past, and the streamer could do it again soon.
Arcane season 2 will mark the end of the show. Luckily, it seems that Netflix already has a replacement series in mind, and one that could easily replicate one of the best things about Arcane: how it expanded upon the lore of its source material, League of Legends. Jinx and Vi’s story added hours worth of world building, characterization, and compelling plot to the video game, and an upcoming animated show based on the world of Magic: The Gathering could do the same for the iconic deck building card game.
Netflix’s Magic: The Gathering Series Can Tell An Original Story Inspired By Game Lore
Netflix announced a show based on Magic: The Gathering, the popular card game, years ago, but the series has yet to come to fruition. Now, however, Netflix has announced that its animated Magic: The Gathering show is currently in development, and it has a chance to tell a truly original story using the nearly endless lore of the game. While there are already quite a few established characters, events, and systems in Magic, there’s not a very clear linear story to adapt, so there’s also plenty of room for a new and unique story to be told.
Arcane’s Jinx And Vi Story Perfectly Expanded On The World Of League Of Legends
If Netflix’s adaptation of Magic: The Gathering does decide to fit its story into the existing lore of the game, it would be extremely similar to Arcane. Neither League of Legends, the game Arcane is based on, nor Magic had well-defined timelines or linear storytelling. Both games had facets of a larger story, but they mostly existed to add texture to the characters and worlds, rather than provide a coherent narrative. Their stories were essentially legends that helped define a rough outline of the world for die-hard fans. Then, Arcane transformed League of Legends‘ larger narrative.
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Both Jinx and Vi existed as characters in League of Legends for years before Arcane, but the show brought their story to unimaginable new heights. Before Arcane, Jinx and Vi were simply rivals on opposing sides of the law, and the show turned them into sisters who were locked in a tragic battle for both each other and the fate of Piltover. Arcane was the perfect way to add a coherent story and timeline into the already defined world of League of Legends, and the Magic: The Gathering show could do the same, especially considering how it has been done before.
Another Great Netflix Animated Video Game Adaptation Also Expanded On The Lore
Years before Arcane was released, Netflix’s flagship video game series was Castlevania, an anime based on the game series of the same name. Like Arcane, Castlevania also took the lore of its source material and ran with it, turning it from set-dressing into an unbelievably compelling tale. Prior to the anime, Castlevania had a messy storyline about the age-old feud between the Belmonts and Dracula that was filled with resurrections, retcons, rather simplistic stories, and more. Then, the anime brought all the interesting ideas that the games only hinted at together, and turned them into a single engaging story.
Castlevania and Arcane are proof that Netflix has a knack for taking games that have either sparse or overly complicated lore and distilling them into an endlessly compelling narrative. Magic: The Gathering is the perfect game to receive such a treatment next, given just how expansive it is and how much potential a story set within its multiverse would have. It could even be the perfect launch pad to get new players into Magic: The Gathering, just as Arcane and Castlevania were for their respective franchises.
Source: Netflix