Highlights
- Fortiche distinguishes itself in a competitive animation landscape through its innovative blend of 2D and 3D animation techniques.
- The studio’s trajectory began with the production of commercials and music videos, paving the way for partnerships with prominent brands.
- Fortiche’s collaboration with Riot Games, particularly its creation of League of Legends cinematics, culminated in the development of the acclaimed series Arcane.
With the animated series Arcane attaining significant acclaim, it’s essential to explore the pioneering French animation studio that propelled this success. Fortiche’s distinctive animation style, which artfully combines 2D and 3D elements, positions it uniquely within an increasingly crowded market. Initially focusing on advertisements, the studio quickly transitioned into the realm of music videos and eventually full-length animated series, leading to partnerships with notable entities like Gorillaz, Marvel, and Riot Games.
As a relatively young studio in the entertainment industry, Fortiche shows immense promise with its sustained production success. To appreciate their current status, it’s valuable to delve into their origins and understand how it all began.
Studio Foundation and Vision
Fortiche was established in 2009 by creators Jérôme Combe, Pascal Charrue, and Arnaud Delord, with aspirations to become a global leader in animation. The studio’s inception in France marked the beginning of a journey aimed at redefining international standards of creativity within the animation industry.
Initially, Fortiche gained traction through commercial advertisements, partnering with companies like Coca-Cola and Samsung. Transitioning into music video production, they landed a significant collaboration with Gorillaz, allowing their unique animation style to flourish. This caught the attention of major gaming studios including Ubisoft and Riot Games. Prior to Arcane, they co-produced the animated series Rabbids Invasion alongside Netflix and Nickelodeon.
The studio’s overarching mission was to innovate and elevate the artistic quality of animation globally, a goal mirrored in their continuous enhancement of a distinctive animation approach.
“At Fortiche, while we draw inspiration from various sources, our ambition is to carve out a distinct path and contribute original creative works.”- Pascal Charrue, Fortiche Co-founder
Initial Major Projects
Although Fortiche initially collaborated with major brands for commercials, it was their foray into music videos that heralded their rise in the animation sphere. Notable projects such as Freak of the Week and collaborations with Gorillaz showcased the studio’s potential and unique style that would later come to define their work.
One of their most impactful partnerships arose with Riot Games, beginning with the production of cinematics for League of Legends. Notably, the character Jinx became a focal point for both their cinematics and the subsequent Arcane series. This collaboration continued to grow, leading to the creation of the immensely popular music video for the in-universe pop group K/DA and ultimately, the series Arcane.
Beyond gaming, they also contributed to the Marvel series Rocket & Groot, expanding their portfolio and showcasing their versatility.
Securing Arcane
Amidst the growing intrigue about how Fortiche secured the opportunity to produce Arcane, one wonders why Riot Games, backed by the vast resources of Tencent, favored Fortiche over other well-known studios. The narrative traces back more than a decade when Fortiche created a music video titled La Gaviota. Christian Linke, the eventual showrunner for Arcane, was so impressed with their artistic direction that he sought to collaborate with them on future projects.
This initial relationship blossomed into their first animation for Riot, the cinematic Get Jinxed. Over the years, their reputation grew as they produced several other League of Legends-related projects, paving the way for the eventual production of Arcane.
“The pivotal moment for us was when Christian Linke was inspired by the unique aesthetic we developed in the La Gaviota music video.”- Pascal Charrue, in an interview with Crunchyroll.
Future Prospects for Fortiche
With Riot Games’ significant investment in Fortiche—including Riot staff serving on the board and even owning a non-controlling stake—the outlook for the studio is promising. Given this robust backing, audiences can anticipate more immersive stories set in the expansive universe of Runeterra in the years to come. During the extensive six-year production of Arcane, Fortiche’s staff grew remarkably from 15 to approximately 300, with further expansion likely as they establish additional branches, including new studios in France and Spain.
The studio’s upcoming project, Penelope of Sparta, is an original sci-fi coming-of-age story inspired by Greek mythology. As Fortiche ventures into feature films, excitement among audiences is mounting to see what they will unveil next following the blockbuster success of Arcane.
Don’t miss out—Arcane is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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