Narrative Reimagining in the Adaptation of Video Games in the Animated Series Arcane

Razizadeh, Ali; Shahabadi, Alireza

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Razizadeh A, Shahabadi A. Narrative Reimagining in the Adaptation of Video Games in the Animated Series Arcane. PH 2026;
URL: http://ph.aui.ac.ir/article-1-1484-en.html

Narrative Reimagining in the Adaptation of Video Games in the Animated Series Arcane

Ali Razizadeh ^*¹

, Alireza Shahabadi²

1- Department of Media Arts, Religion and Media Faculty, IRIB University, Qom, Iran , ali.razizadeh@iribu.ac.ir
2- Department of Media Arts, Religion and Media Faculty, IRIB University, Qom, Iran

Abstract: (6 Views)

With the expansion of narrative structures in new media, video games have come to be recognized as one of the most complex forms of interactive storytelling. The adaptation of these games into audiovisual media, particularly television series, represents an intermedial phenomenon that requires the re-creation of narrative structure, characterization, setting, and expressive form within a non-interactive framework. The central issue of the present study is to examine how narrative re-creation occurs in the intermedial adaptation of video games into television series, specifically in the animated series Arcane, which is based on the video game League of Legends. The main research question asks: how are the key narrative elements of the game, such as plot, characters, setting, and style, transformed in the adaptation process of Arcane, and what impact do these transformations have on audience experience? The aim of this study, in correspondence with this question, is to provide a systematic analysis of the narrative re-creation process in Arcane. The research employs a textual analysis method with an interpretive and comparative approach. Data were collected through a comparative examination of the game’s narrative framework and the first season of the series, combined with theoretical sources from narratology, adaptation theory, and intermediality studies. Findings indicate that the game’s nonlinear and interactive narrative has been reshaped in the series into a three-act, causal, and dramatic structure; that characters such as Jinx and Vi have evolved from mechanical, function-based figures into psychologically and emotionally complex individuals; and that the fictional spaces of Zaun and Piltover have been elevated from mere graphical environments to settings with social and political significance. Furthermore, the audience’s role has shifted from that of an interactive participant to an empathetic spectator. Through its analysis of Arcane, this study proposes a conceptual framework for examining narrative transformation in intermedial adaptations.

Keywords: Video Game Studies, Transmedia Adaptation, Narrative Re-creation, Arcane Series, League of Legends Franchise.

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Type of Study: Research | Subject: ساير