NBA 2K League Returns to In-Person LAN Events With New Studio in Indy

NBA 2K League Returns to In-Person LAN Events With New Studio in Indy But league will also continue to leverage cloud-based remote production workflows By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Thursday, April 21, 2022 - 1:59 pm

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After two years of online play and remote production, the NBA2K League has a new in-person home for the 2022 season. In-person NBA 2K League competitions, which began last night with bracket play of THE TIPOFF Powered by AT&T, will take place at the new NBA 2K League Studio at The Pavilion at Pan Am in Indianapolis. And, while the league is proud of all the technology innovations and remote-production workflows it developed over the past two years, there's nothing quite like returning to in-person LAN competitions.

For the crew, the league, and the players, on a scale of one to 10, I would put the excitement level at about 4 million, says Matt Arden, head of content and media, NBA 2K League. At our live events, the energy is palpable, with all the noise and the chaos and the fun. The energy level that the players infuse into that live product is amazing, and seeing them explode and blossom on the live stage has been one of the great joys of this job. We can't wait to have that energy back in the room and yell and scream and watch these players do what they do best.

Although bracket play for the league's in-season tournaments - The Tipoff, The Turn, The Ticket - and its playoffs and finals will take place in Indianapolis, NBA 2K will continue to embrace the cloud-based remote-production ecosystem it has cultivated over the past two years for qualifying and group play.

I'm excited to finally and fully return to in-person production, says TJ Canty, director, broadcast operations and events, NBA 2K League. We're still very much moving forward with our cloud-based remote-control room. There is nothing like the feel and energy of a live event. This year will be even more interesting, considering we're doubling our overall camera counts and videoboards.

Inside the Indy Studio: Dual Stages, Double the Cameras, Plenty of Excitement During the pandemic, NBA 2K's online-play broadcasts featured a fast-paced whip-around among multiple games. In an effort to recapture that high-speed excitement for LAN play, NBA 2K League experimented with the concept of dual competition stages at the 2021 Playoffs at the Mavs Gaming Hub in Dallas.

One thing we took away from Dallas was that excitement and chaos can live in the same place, says Arden. Frankly, it's very hard to cover two stages. From a live perspective, the audience is seeing what's happening, and they can easily follow it, but to bring that through on the broadcast is a lot more challenging. Our talent has to be really on their toes, as do our camera ops, TD, and director because we are making these massive pivots midstream during the broadcast.

The dual stages proved to be a big hit with fans and players alike and will now be a permanent feature at the new NBA 2K League Studio in Indianapolis. Two circular competition stages will host simultaneous in-person games, allowing the production team to switch between games in real time to capture the most exciting moments.

Our main goal was to make the two stages feel like equal main stages rather than one being the side stage, says Arden. We tried to create a feeling of oneness between the two. Then we surrounded both with more LED [displays] than we've ever had before to really make it pop.

Arden and his team worked closely with Brian Mirakian senior principal/brand activation director, Populous, and his crew to create a venue that would not only dazzle fans in attendance but also make the players themselves feel like genuine superstars. In addition to the two LED-heavy circular stages, the league has erected an LED-fueled tunnel that will be the central focus during dramatic player introductions before each competition. The casters will call the action perched atop this tunnel, creating a fresh new dynamic.

I would describe the general vibe as part NBA arena, part Rucker Park, says Arden. We took a lot of inspiration from WWE as well as what the NBA did in the bubble in terms of using LED in smaller spaces to create more excitement. So we wanted big screens, lots of noise, and to make sure the players are featured prominently. We wanted to create an epic entrance for them so that, when they take their seats, they feel like superstars.

In addition to the main competition studio, the facility features a players lounge upstairs, along with player practice rooms that double as remote game-play rooms for the 10 teams that are living in-market in Indianapolis this season.

NBA 2K League has re-teamed with its longtime production partner Defacto Entertainment and facilities provider Dome Productions for the 2022 season. Arden and his team produce each broadcast from a Dome Productions mobile unit outside the facility.

Double the stages means double the cameras, so Canty and his team have rolled out twice as many Marshall POV playercams and more handhelds (some wired, some RF) than ever to cover the action.

We have only a few seconds to provide the viewer with full context as to why we're making the shift [to a different stage] and what's happening in the other game before that moment disappears, says Arden. It means a lot of mental gymnastics for our core talent and production staff. Being ready to pivot at any given moment for nine hours is a real challenge.

New Season, New Structure: Going Tournament-Centric, Launching 3v3 Tourneys The studio in Indianapolis isn't the only big change this year. The league made significant changes to its schedule and is debuting several features for its fifth season.

First off, the NBA 2K League has pivoted from a tradit

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