Behind the Scenes at Blizzard Arena: Inside the Home of Overwatch League, the Hottest Property in Esports
08/03/2018
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 - 9:21 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
With teams dishing out $20 million apiece to join and Twitch inking a two-year, $90 million streaming rights deal, Blizzard Entertainment doesn't just believe Overwatch League can be among the elite esports properties in the world - it believes it can be among the elite sports properties of any kind. In order to be a first-class league, you have to have a first-class production facility, and that's exactly what the video-game titan has endeavored to create with Blizzard Arena in Burbank, CA.
Inside Blizzard Arena, home of Overwatch League. Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
Opened in October 2017, Blizzard Arena has served as the home of Overwatch League competitions since its inaugural season began in January. What was once home to The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson in Burbank Studios is now a modern 11,000-sq.-ft. studio dedicated exclusively to esports. However, the Arena itself is just one portion of Blizzard's sprawling 74,000 sq.-ft., five-level facility (including the basement), which also includes a second studio for additional programming, two control rooms and an observer room , a shoutcaster announce booth, nine edit suites, private practice rooms for all 12 Overwatch teams, dugouts for both competing teams, multiple press rooms, vast stretches of office space (including Jay Leno's former digs), and much more.
We've been planning this project for a couple years, so it was a very extensive buildout and we tried to account for everything, says Pete Emminger, senior director, global broadcast, Blizzard Entertainment. Right from the beginning, we built out all the necessary infrastructure to support everything that Blizzard does - not just Overwatch League. So, it's been very flexible for us. We've already done almost every Blizzard esport here and we are continuing to grow bit by bit as we get into new programs, but Overwatch is obviously our main focus right now.
Inside the Arena: An LED Feast for the Eyes
The Blizzard Arena soundstage, which has seating for up to 450 fans, is centered around the primary stage, where the two six-player teams compete against a 13,000-pixel-wide 4mm LED wall. In addition, a LED halo display hangs above the stage and tracks the payload progression for each Overwatch match. All LED panels are all wired redundantly throughout the facility and driven by a custom graphics/playout system developed in-house by Blizzard.
The Blizzard Arena stage features a 13,000-pixel-wide 4mm LED wall and LED halo above. Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
All the LED is completely reactive to the game, says Emminger. We have a number of custom game software elements that drive all this LED. All the hero panels and other [elements] up on the LED are all driven directly from the game engine and the Halo [above the stage] is totally reactive to the game [to visualize] the Overwatch payload progression.
Just a few feet in front of the stage is the primary desk set, where four analysts break down the action throughout each match.
In terms of in-arena audio, the house PA system utilizes a Yamaha QL1 mixing console and one EAW line array PA with subs for tiered seating.
Both teams utilize analog headsets (custom-modified from a pilot headset to ensure noise cancellation) and totally independent comms systems (driven by two Yamaha QL1 audio consoles backstage). Via these noise-cancelling headsets, players can hear one another and the comms feed is piped into both dugouts located behind the stage so the respective team managers can hear and provide feedback at halftime. The comms feeds are also recorded for postgame analysis during the week.
Each Overwatch League player is covered by Blackmagic Micro Cinema POV cameras and wears custom-modified pilot headsets. Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
We have two separate consoles for each team in order to maintain tournament integrity, says Emminger. That way there's no chance of a configuration error or mix up, which is a must at this level of competition.
Since competitors play at 144Hz, necessitating short cable runs between the player and the hardware, all of Blizzard's HP gaming hardware is located in small racks next to both team's areas on the stage.
Blizzard also has a second studio at the facility, which is utilized for its weekly look-ahead studio show Watchpoint, its Tespa collegiate esports events, player interviews, standups, and other multipurpose needs.
Blizzard utilizes a second studio in Burbank for a variety of programming, including its weekly look-ahead show Watchpoint.
The production team has 16 Grass Valley LDX86 (eight of which are outfitted with six 22X lenses and two wide angle lenses) cameras at its disposal to cover action inside the Arena (Stage 1 at Burbank Studios), as well as for Blizzard's secondary studio (Stage 5). In addition, the primary arena has four Sony BRCH800/1 1080p PTZ cameras.
In addition, up on the stage, Blizzard deploys a dozen Blackmagic Micro Cinema POV cameras with SLR Magic 8mm lenses for close-ups of each player's face during competition. Blizzard has a single shading room to shade both the Grass Valley cameras (painted with traditional CCU's) and POV cameras (using Blackmagic's DaVinci Resolve coloring software).
Inside the Control Rooms: Calling the Shots From Matching Rooms
Blizzard Arena is equipped with two control rooms and two audio rooms, as well as an observer room, which produces the in-game action itself. A Grass Valley Kayenne K-Frame 9 M/E switcher is split
LINK: | https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/03/07/behind-the-scenes-at-blizzard-a... |
See more stories from svg |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
08/05/2024
zweiB updates to latest version of R&SCLIPSTER
zweiB updates to latest version of R&S CLIPSTER Specialist in deliverables for cinema, events and trade shows Rohde & Schwarz, a global leader in broadcast...
07/05/2024
NAB Show 2024
NAB Show 2024 Utah Scientific rocked the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas, unveiling two new game-changers in video signal management. Our primary focus this yea...
07/05/2024
Paul Whitehouse takes viewers through The Sketch Show Years in new 4-part series on Gold
7th May 2024 The nations favourite comedy channel Gold has teamed up with the ma...
07/05/2024
Your Guide to Having a Jam-Packed Sundance Institute Summer
There's something special about summer. We're not sure whether it's the warmer weather, the longer days, or something else a bit more magical, but s...
07/05/2024
NITV appoints Michael Rennie as Presenter and Senior Producer for NITV News
NITV appoints Michael Rennie as Presenter and Senior Producer for NITV News Media releases NITV has announced the appointment of Michael Rennie as Presenter...
07/05/2024
Network flexibility: A Vital Consideration for SATCOM Resiliency
The ability for line-of-site tactical voice and data networks to seamlessly traverse over Satellite Communications is an emerging requirement to assure warfight...
07/05/2024
L3Harris Avionics Repair Station Becomes the First in U.S. to Be Awarded European Military Airworthiness Certification
On April 5, 2024, the L3Harris Avionics Products Repair Station (NN2R037L) in Gr...
07/05/2024
Clear-Com Celebrates Theatre Triumphs in Light of 2024 Tony Award Nominations
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
07/05/2024
macOS Ventura Compatible
Share this article width=32 height=32 loading=lazy data-lazy-src=https://apogeedigital.com/app/themes/juniper-theme/src/img/icons/facebook-purple.svg /> wid...
07/05/2024
Disney Streaming DTC Operations Produce Their First Profits
BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company has finally delivered some from profits from its hefty streaming investments, with the second quarter of its fiscal year...
07/05/2024
Bonnie Hammer, Jen Psaki Share Books and Workplace Lessons at 92nd Street Y
Bonnie Hammer, vice chair of NBCUniversal, and Jen Psaki, MSNBC host, read from their new books at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan Wednesday, May 8. Hammer's...
07/05/2024
Paramount Plus Orders Tracy Morgan Comedy Set in World of The Neighborhood'
Paramount Plus has ordered the series Crutch, a comedy that is a spinoff of CBS comedy The Neighborhood. Tracy Morgan stars....
07/05/2024
Daytime Emmys Announce Lifetime Achievement Recipients
Edward J. and Melody Thomas Scott and Lidia Bastianich will receive Lifetime Achievement honors at the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards in June, the National Aca...
07/05/2024
Al Roker, Wendy McMahon, Stephen A. Smith Set for Giants of Broadcasting Honors
The 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts luncheon and awards ceremony happens in New York November 12, and the honorees are Al Roker, weather and featu...
07/05/2024
Dabl Debuts New Weekday Schedule
Dabl Network has added The Wayans Bros., The Jamie Foxx Show, Living Single and Everybody Hates Chris to its weekday and weekend lineups. Those shows join the l...
07/05/2024
Disney Entertainment DTC Business Gets Out of the Red in Q2
After winning a proxy fight, The Walt Disney Co. said its entertainment business turned a profit and added subscribers in its fiscal second quarter....
07/05/2024
Victor Wembanyama, Top NBA Rookie, Featured On Pass The Rock'
NBA Entertainment is closing out the second season of its series Pass the Rock with a look at Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, the league's rooki...
07/05/2024
Syncbak Rebrands as Zeam Media After Streaming Platform Rollout
Syncbak, which provides stations with streaming capabilities, said it is rebranding as Zeam Media....
07/05/2024
Magnolia Pictures Licenses Content To Stream on Samsung TV Plus
Samsung has made a deal with Magnolia Pictures that will bring titles from Magnolia to the Samsung TV Plus free streaming platform....
07/05/2024
Amazon Rolling Out Interactive Commercial Formats for Prime Video (Upfronts)
Amazon, which has added commercials to Amazon Prime Video, is rolling out new interactive ad formats that will enable advertisers to engage streamers and sell s...
07/05/2024
Syncbak Now Zeam Media
Syncbak, a 15 year-old provider of streaming tech for local broadcast stations has rebranded itself, adopting the name of its streaming service launched in Febr...
07/05/2024
Maximising resources: Keys to POST Luxembourg's success in the evolving media landscape
POST Luxembourgs journey with TAG Video underscores how finding a vendor who und...
07/05/2024
Survey: Amazon's Push into Ad-Supported Streaming Is Working
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. New findings from Hub Entertainment Research provides extensive data showing that the majority of consumers will opt for lower cost ad-supporte...
07/05/2024
The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation Unveils the 2024 Award Recipients
NEW YORK The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) has announced th...
07/05/2024
Lindsey Reiser Joins CBS News 24/7 as Anchor and Correspondent
CBS News has named Lindsey Reiser an anchor and correspondent for CBS News 24/7, the network's live, streaming news service. Reiser, who was most recently a...
07/05/2024
Tablet Shipments Show Signs of Recovery in Q1
NEEDHAM, Mass. After more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet shipments posted modest year-over-year growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24),...
07/05/2024
ESPN Pulls in Highest April Prime Time Audiences on Record
ESPN is reporting that April was a record-setting month as the network delivered its best April prime time audience on record, dating back more than 30 years....
07/05/2024
Kirsten Donaldson Joins NAB as VP of Public Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that Kirsten Donaldson has joined NAB as vice president of public policy. Donaldso...
07/05/2024
Don't miss Bark in the Park, Margaritaville Night & Bull Sharks Night this week at the DBAP
The Bulls are back home again this week from May 7-12! Don't miss out on any...
07/05/2024
SVG Sit-Down: AWS's Julie Souza on the Cloud and AI in Broadcast-Content Creation, Distribution
SVG Sit-Down: AWS's Julie Souza on the Cloud and AI in Broadcast-Content Cre...
07/05/2024
Deloitte Analysts Peter Giorgio and Michael Vovk: Sports Properties Need To Rethink Fan Engagement
Deloitte Analysts Peter Giorgio and Michael Vovk: Sports Properties Need To Reth...
07/05/2024
University of Texas' Jeff Hanel to Keynote 16th-Annual SVG College Summit
University of Texas' Jeff Hanel to Keynote 16th-Annual SVG College Summit Industry vet to discuss uniting live and creative in athletic department media arm...
07/05/2024
Premier League Trials RefCam During Crystal Palace v Manchester United Fixture
Premier League trials RefCam during Crystal Palace v Manchester United fixture By George Bevir Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - 09:34 Print This Story In a Premier ...
07/05/2024
CBS Sports Previews PGA Championship Plans; 125+ Cameras Include FlyCams, Bunker Cams, Live Drones, and Shallow-depth-of-field
CBS Sports Previews PGA Championship Plans; 125+ Cameras Include FlyCams, Bunker...
07/05/2024
Rohde & Schwarz brings cutting-edge solutions to TECNOSEC and DRONExpo 2024
Rohde & Schwarz brings cutting-edge solutions to TECNOSEC and DRONExpo 2024 Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its innovative portfolio at TECNOSEC and DRONExpo 20...
07/05/2024
Five New Games Join Netflix in May
Back to All News Five New Games Join Netflix in May Netflix Staff Entertainment 07 May 2024 Global Link copied to clipboard Five new games are launching ...
07/05/2024
Top 10 Week of Apr. 29: Baby Reindeer' Holds Strong; Heeramandi' Breaks Records; Katt Williams and Tom Brady Live Events Bring the Laughs
Back to All News Top 10 Week of Apr. 29: Baby Reindeer' Holds Strong; Hee...
07/05/2024
Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award
Home News & Press Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award May 07, 2024 Blancco's v...
07/05/2024
2024-05-07
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today unveiled the all-new Logic Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for Mac 11, delivering breakthrough professional experiences for songw...
07/05/2024
Changes in Apple's privacy requirements
Apple's new Privacy Manifest requirement mandates that apps explicitly disclose the privacy-related data they collect, the purposes for this collection, and...
07/05/2024
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour arrives to shake up Europe
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour arrives to shake up EuropeHaving shaken four continents, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour finally brings the biggest pop culture icon o...
07/05/2024
Isiphetho: Destiny' beats Scandal!'
Isiphetho: Destiny' beats Scandal!'E.tv's latest telenovela Isiphetho: Destiny' beat the channel's longest running soapie, Scandal!' ...
07/05/2024
Now there's HELP for ex-prisoners to find work in South Africa
Now there's HELP for ex-prisoners to find work in South AfricaNew initiative for ex-prisoners to find work in South Africa proves it's never too late fo...
07/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Cohen is pulled into keeping a secret
Tonight on Scandal: Cohen is pulled into keeping a secretDon't miss Tuesday, 7 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on DStv c...
07/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 6 May 2024 [video]
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 6 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soapie...
06/05/2024
Gathering Is a Call to Action: A Letter From Ilyse McKimmie
By Ilyse McKimmie Now, more than ever That's a phrase so often used in the last few years that I've come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. A...
06/05/2024
From Petabytes To Exabytes: The Future Of Shared Storage
alt= class=wp-image-12099 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blog-Exabyte-Storage-Demand-960x540-1.jpg/> Demand for storage solutions has reached unprece...