The Game Must Go On!

Bauhaus Media came to the rescue recently when an international gaming competition ran into network issues at another studio. Ubisoft, developer of some of the top video games on the market today, was streaming a live Rainbow Six shootout between two teams at remote locations. The commentators and audio-video control were being run out of San Antonio.

BMG principal Eric Hanken got the first call on Friday, January 28, that they were having some issues and might need a backup location. Bauhaus Studios had been recommended to them as having excellent facilities and a reliable live-broadcast network. By late Saturday morning, the Ubisoft crew thought they had things under control at their original location. “We’re going live in 20 minutes.” So, Eric thought they were fine.

But, by 11:40, Eric’s phone rang again. Quick arrangements were made and the Ubisoft crew had their entire setup moved to Bauhaus Studios by 2 p.m. Although slightly delayed, the game began and continued until 1 a.m. Sunday morning. They resumed at 10 a.m. Sunday and finished at 8 p.m.

These games are very popular with audiences in the millions around the world. For the uninitiated, Rainbow Six is a first-person shooter game, based on the Tom Clancy novel by the same name. The live contests are played between two teams of five, who battle “to the death,” with their every move watched by their live, worldwide audience. The audience has the additional benefit of two play-by-play commentators and an overview of the game, broadcast on a 5-minute delay, so as not to influence the play. Each player’s view is limited to their own first-person perspective.

The local crew included lighting and sound personnel, as well as directors who controlled the input from the various audio and video feeds. The commentators stood behind a partial set, with a green screen background, which allowed for changing video options.