In February 2025, Fortiche and Riot dropped Welcome to Noxus, a cinematic bombshell that racked up 150 million views in just one week. And no, it’s not a trailer for a new series (we see you, theorists 👀), it is a bold new step in our collaboration with Riot Games, continuing to expand the world of Runeterra.
This time, we follow Mel, the enigmatic councilor from Arcane, as she lands in the heart of the empire. Forget the sleek towers of Piltover or the neon haze of Zaun: Noxus is all harsh edges and heavy silence. It’s a place built on power, grit, and dominance.
To reflect that, our teams pushed the Fortiche style into new territory, a more realistic, visceral approach. From brutalist architecture in raw concrete to characters with grounded proportions and detailed clothing hierarchies, every element was designed to show the weight of Noxian ambition.
This project presented a unique challenge, as it required the exploration of two new regions:
- Freljord: A harsh, icy tundra with cold, mineral landscapes.
- Noxus: A dry, cloudy countryside with a low skyline, emphasizing the raw, imposing nature of the region.
One of Fortiche’s proudest achievements with this cinematic was leading the creative development for the Masquerade-themed character designs, particularly for Elise and Katarina. Fortiche set the tone for mood, outfits, colors, and materials, which Riot Games then adapted to establish the new skin lines.
As always, we leaned into live-action-inspired camerawork:
Slight tremors.
Uneven frames.
Sudden focus shifts.
Under the artistic direction of Charlotte O’Neill and Faustine Dumontier, the team has evolved the “Fortiche Touch” into a softer, looser, and vibrant style. Affectionately called “La Touchette,” this technique draws inspiration from Impressionism, with every design meticulously texturized to achieve extreme finesse. This approach creates a delicate balance between deconstructed details and the illusion of reality, maintaining Fortiche’s painterly aesthetic.
And yes, we went deep on costume design. Silks, armor, worn leather, draped linen… every texture tells you who’s in charge and who’s just surviving.
While Welcome to Noxus isn’t an Arcane sequel, it carries that same DNA — the storytelling, the cinematic ambition, the art direction.
For us, this was a chance to explore a different flavor of Runeterra.
