Watch: ‘Arcane’ Studio Fortiche Delivers 2025’s Final ‘League of Legends’ Cinematic for Riot Games
During the 2025 League of Legends World Championship in Chengdu, Riot Games and French production studio Fortiche (Arcane) are debuting Twilight’s End, the cinematic that brings this year’s LoL narrative arc to a close. The story centered on LeBlanc, Vladimir and Xin Zhao, developed across four cinematics (Welcome to Noxus, Dark Gambit, Beginning of the End and Twilight’s End) since January 2025.
The cinematic’s story is structured around the final battle for control of the Darkin Glaive. It opens with an intense battle scene at the heart of the Spirit Temple, which materializes in the physical world of Ionia during the “spirit blossom bloom,” where we see Xin Zhao and temple guardian Yunara fighting to prevent Atakhan, LeBlanc’s ally, from seizing an ancient glaive that houses the Darkin Zaahen.
In the chaos of the battle, Xin Zhao comes into contact with the artifact. He is instantly transported to the realm where Zaahen is imprisoned. Desperate to stop the apocalyptic vision he had in Beginning of the End — a future where LeBlanc and Atakhan triumph and his adopted homeland, Demacia, is devastated — our hero asks Zaahen to take possession of his body.
For this production, Fortiche explored new visual codes shaped by Ionia’s magic and mysticism. The studio’s distinctive artistic direction is combined with a more realistic rendering of the characters, their movements, and expressions than seen in Arcane.
“The objective remained clear: to offer fans an experience faithful to the League of Legends universe while exploring a creative approach unique to this project,” said Arnaud Delord, Co-Founder of Fortiche, who served as co-creative director on the project with Bart Maunoury.
Led by art directors Faustine Dumontier and Charlotte O’Neal, the team built on the expertise developed through their work on the widely lauded visuals of Arcane, while enjoying the opportunity to experiment afforded by these cinematics projects. The design work focused on precision and realism in facial expressions: slightly smaller, deeper-set eyes to intensify the gaze, and a rich approach to skin tones, color variation and surface details to enhance presence on screen.
The creative teams also focused on visual coherence, emotional depth and graphic experimentation with light, textures and magical effects. “This production combines Bart’s vision and mine, but also draws on the richness and experience gained from previous cinematics, as well as the close collaboration between all departments — from art direction to production,” Delord added.
Designed specifically for this cinematic, the effects implemented have no equivalent in the League of Legends universe, making their execution even more challenging. The effects team highlighted the development of Atakhan’s FX, which benefitted from experience gained on Beginning of the End, crafted with even greater precision and attention to detail. The work on Yunara’s dragons and the petals allowed for more exploration of technique, moving away from traditional 3D methods.
The main challenge on Twilight’s End was to portray Xin Zhao at an age and maturity level never seen before. The Fortiche team needed to craft a rougher version of the character while preserving the softness and melancholy that define him. The creators point out that when he is transformed by his encounter with Zaahen, visual threads follow through with elements of his original silhouette, especially through detailed facial work; the shape stays the same but becomes more symmetrical, with a colder expression, and his stoic posture reflects the discipline and inner strength of the former warrior.
The overall goal for this cinematic finale was to blend the magic of Ionia with a more straightforward narrative that was still consistent with League of Legends lore. Collaborating closely with Riot and drawing on rich story material they provided, the Fortiche artists crafted a dense script and were challenged to shape it into a clear, impactful story across this 2025 arc. The result is an intersection of Riot’s vision and the artistic evolution Fortiche has embarked on over the production of Arcane and these collaborations.
