What’s Going On With This Big Netflix Leak?

People talked about The Last of Us like it was the first impressively high-quality TV adaptation of a video game in recent memory, but as solid and tear-worthy as it is, The Last of Us was preceded by Arcane in 2021.

As we all agreed then and now, Arcane kicks ass. So after three years, the arrival of Arcane‘s second season feels like a huge event. Unfortunately, the pristine and gorgeous bubble of excitement was deflated on August 7, 2024, when Netflix suffered a major breach. Seemingly the entirety of its animation slate for the rest of the year leaked. The first five episodes of Arcane season 2, in their entirety, were part of the leak.

But the leak goes far beyond Arcane. At Netflix alone, Terminator Zero, DANDADAN, Ranma 1/2, Plankton: The Movie, Spellbound, and even more were all leaked in some capacity. While the leak seems to be centered at Netflix, some other animated series and films leaked on the same day, most notably Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World and Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain.

What’s going on?

When Arcane premiered in 2021, people were immediately hooked. Gorgeously animated by French studio Fortiche, Arcane is a new story set within Riot Games’ League of Legends universe. It is also, critically, a Netflix exclusive series.

Netflix has yet to make a statement about the massive leaks on August 7, which have affected the premieres of Arcane and all of the other major hitters in its animation roster for the rest of the year. The Arcane leaks stand out from the pack because Arcane‘s premiere date is the furthest away. Terminator Zero premiered in exactly three weeks. DANDADAN is getting a theatrical premiere on September 13 ahead of its serialization in early October. Arcane season two is slated for November.

Perhaps leakers do this kind of thing because they expect to be treated as some kind of renegade hero. Instead, the primary reaction on social media seems to be outrage. It’s a huge insult to all of the people who’ve worked on Arcane for the last three years to rob them of the anticipation of release day. And fans are reporting spoilers for the season floating through their timelines. Getting spoiled on something that isn’t even out yet is godawful.

The leaks themselves are low quality and come loaded with watermarks. At the very least, you deserve to see Fortiche’s work in the quality it deserves. To try to look on the bright side: At least we can firmly say now that Arcane season 2 is worth the wait.