Riot Games has historically coordinated large-scale promotional campaigns to celebrate the launch of new content, particularly around the animated series Arcane. These campaigns frequently involve distributing free digital items and cosmetic upgrades across their portfolio of games. The primary source of information regarding these offers consists of announcements made through official Riot Games channels and verified gaming news outlets. The available documentation outlines specific free items and event structures for titles including VALORANT, League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, and Wild Rift.
VALORANT RiotX Arcane Event Pass
During the initial release of Arcane, Riot Games offered a free event pass within VALORANT. This pass was available to all players without purchase requirements.
- Event Name: RiotX Arcane Event Pass
- Availability: The event ran from November 5, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time until November 22, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
- Structure: The pass consisted of 10 levels.
- Progression: Players unlocked items by earning Experience Points (XP), similar to the standard VALORANT Battlepass system.
- Free Rewards: Specific items confirmed to be included in the free track were the Arcane Cupcake Gun Buddy and the Welcome to the Undercity Player Card.
In addition to the free pass, a paid bundle was available during the same window, the Arcane Collector’s Set, priced at 2,380 VP. This bundle included items such as the Arcane Sheriff and the Monkey Business Gun Buddy. Riot Games confirmed that these paid items would not return to the store after the event concluded.
VALORANT Arcane Season 2 Twitch Drops
To coincide with the release of Arcane Season 2, Riot Games organized a Twitch drop campaign for VALORANT players.
- Eligibility Requirement: To receive the rewards, players were required to link their Riot Games account with their Twitch (or YouTube) account via account settings.
- Claiming Process: Viewers were required to watch the official Arcane Season 2 Episode 1 broadcast on the Riot Games Twitch channel for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Reward Schedule:
- Horrors I’ve Seen (Vi): Available to claim on November 9, 2024, at 12:00 a.m. PT.
- From My Perspective (Jinx): Available to claim between November 16 and November 23, 2024.
League of Legends and Wild Rift Rewards
The RiotX Arcane event extended to League of Legends and its mobile counterpart, Wild Rift, offering region-specific cosmetic rewards.
- League of Legends: Players received free Arcane-inspired skins for Jayce, Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx. The game environment also received thematic updates to the Summoner's Rift concurrent with the Preseason 2022 updates.
- Wild Rift: The mobile title featured an in-game Arcane event. Free rewards included Jinx and Vi skins, which were distributed as log-in rewards. Themed content was also added to the Guild vs Guild mode. Additionally, Jayce and Caitlyn were introduced as playable champions during this period.
Legends of Runeterra 2nd Anniversary Login Event
Legends of Runeterra celebrated its second anniversary alongside the Arcane hype with a login reward event.
- Event Duration: The event began with the release of Patch 3.6.0 and concluded on May 11 at 11:00 a.m. PT.
- Mechanism: Players were required to log in over 7 distinct days to claim all available rewards.
- Free Rewards:
- Arcane Skins for Vi and Jinx.
- "See This Look?" Arcane Vi Emote.
- Turning Two Icon.
- Turning Two Card Back.
- Additional Content: A "City of Progress" player icon was available as a reward for completing a chain of quests associated with the login event.
Teamfight Tactics and Cross-Platform Content
Teamfight Tactics (TFT) participated in the promotional period with thematic additions.
- TFT Content: The "Gizmos and Gadgets" set was featured, alongside Arcane-themed tacticians.
- Social Play: A "Double Up" mode was introduced, allowing players to team up with friends.
External Collaborations: PUBG Mobile and The Art of Arcane Book
Riot Games extended the Arcane promotional reach beyond their own ecosystem through a collaboration with PUBG Mobile.
- PUBG Mobile Collaboration: This partnership introduced characters, items, and locations from the Arcane series into the PUBG Mobile world (Erangel). This was noted as a significant step for Riot Games in the mobile gaming sector, distinct from their own Wild Rift title.
Separate from in-game digital items, Riot Games also partnered with Fortiche, Melcher Media, and Insight Editions to publish a physical book titled The Art and Making of Arcane.
- Book Details: Written by Elisabeth Vincentelli, the book details the creation of the show and includes interviews with co-creators Christian Linke and Alex Yee, studio heads, directors, and animators.
- Editions: The book was published in three editions: Standard, Portfolio, and Artifact.
- Included Freebies: All editions included physical items such as a Jinx poster, a removable map of Piltover, an in-world blueprint, a Vander letter, and a fold-out spread. The Portfolio and Artifact editions included additional exclusive bonus items.
Conclusion
The available documentation confirms that Riot Games utilizes a multi-faceted approach to promotional freebies, distributing digital cosmetics across their game titles (VALORANT, League of Legends, Wild Rift, Legends of Runeterra, Teamfight Tactics) and engaging in external collaborations (PUBG Mobile) and merchandise publishing (The Art and Making of Arcane). The primary method for obtaining digital rewards involved logging into specific games during set dates or watching designated Twitch streams with linked accounts. While the specific dates mentioned in the source material refer to past events (2021 and 2024), the structure of these giveaways provides a blueprint for how Riot Games manages large-scale promotional campaigns.