After nearly 50 days of unmatched popularity worldwide, Netflix has a new number one TV show that isn’t Korean horror-thriller Squid Game—and it’s from an unexpected source. Riot Games’ brand-new animated League of Legends adaptation Arcane is Netflix’s hottest TV series globally today, just barely eking out a lead against director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s viral hit.
Created by Riot Games and French animation studio Fortiche Production, Netflix’s Arcane follows various League of Legends champions, or playable characters, from Riot’s iconic multiplayer online battle arena. The series currently has three episodes available and focuses in particular on Jinx and Vi, two female criminals who land on vastly different sides of the law amid the dangerous streets of Zaun and the utopian-esque city Piltover. Nine episodes are currently planned for the series in total, with three new installments each expected over the next two weekends.
While Arcane dominates globally, Squid Game still holds the lead in the U.S.: The latter rests as the fourth most popular show in the country, whereas Riot Games’ adaptation sits at sixth. Don’t expect Squid Game to return to the number one slot in the United States any time soon; both You and Big Mouth previously dethroned Squid Game as America’s most popular Netflix TV show.
While Arcane has yet to catch up with Squid Game in the States, it seems likely the series will soon dominate the streaming platform across the country. Riot Games’ adaptation already holds the first place slot today in a wide assortment of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Norway, Russia, Thailand, and Venezuela. Will Arcane reach Squid Games’ universally praised viral status with critics and viewers alike? That part remains unclear, for now.
