Riot Games has acquired a significant non-controlling stake in Fortiche Productions, the animation studio behind Netflix series “Arcane” and a number of videos based on Riot’s lead brand “League of Legends.” 

Working closely with Fortiche for nearly a decade, the two companies first began bringing the “League of Legends” brand and characters to music videos with musicians such as Imagine Dragons, Madison Beer and K-pop band K/DA; creating superstars of the video game characters themselves. 

From here, Fortiche Products collaborated with Riot on many “League of Legends” content releases as well as advising heavily on the Netflix original series “Arcane,” which premiered at the streaming platform’s top spot globally in Nov. 2021.  

“The various collaborations with Riot Games, and especially Arcane, have made Fortiche Production a new major player on the international animation scene,” says Pascal Charrue, Jérôme Combe and Arnaud Delord, co-founders, Fortiche Productions, in a joint statement. “Riot Games, by trusting us, has given us the means to achieve our common ambitions and has shown that it is possible to offer new content that can reach a large audience. In 2023, we will celebrate ten years of collaboration: there is no better way to symbolize the trust and ambitions of our two companies than this association!”  

Following the investment in the animation studio, Brian Wright, chief content officer, Riot Games and Brendan Mulligan, director, corporate development, Riot Games have also joined the Fortiche board of directors. 

“Fortiche has been an integral partner for a long time, but this agreement ensures we’ll be working closely for decades to come,” says Nicolo Laurent, chief executive officer, Riot Games. “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.”  

Fortiche, which now includes 350 employees and collaborators in Paris, Montpellier, and Las Palmas, Spain, will remain operationally independent from Riot aside from Riot’s positions on the board of directors. The company leadership team includes co-founders Charrue Pascal, Combe Jérôme, and Delord Arnaud, as well as Hervé Dupont, appointed managing director.