In the past few years, we’ve seen an immense growth in the esports industry, which means that the infrastructure supporting it must also evolve with it. With an increasing number of esports titles coming out and tournaments taking place every year, organizers and regulators must work increasingly harder to support this thriving industry. To help the cause, Riot Games has stepped up and announced the opening of its first esports broadcast facility, located in Dublin and known as Project Stryker.
Riot Games are one of the leading organizers and developers in the esports industry. They oversee the production and broadcasting of tournaments focused on the likes of League of Legends, VALORANT, and Wild Rift, some of the most exciting and hottest esports titles in the business. Now, Riot Games is opening up special esports facilities to maintain a high level of control and the highest level possible of production value.
According to a statement published by Riot Games, Project Stryker is the result of three years of intense development. While the first facility has been opened in Dublin, Ireland, there are two more set to follow – one in Seattle, and the other in the APAC region. This follow-the-sun model will ensure that, at all times, Project Stryker is covering any esports tournament being played anywhere in the world.
As one of the first facilities of its kind in the world, Project Stryker in Dublin boasts state-of-the-art technology. It’s operating on a network infrastructure powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), which will, going forward, act as a lead sponsor at Riot Games’ high-stakes esports tournaments. However, this partnership doesn’t just provide a networking backbone for Project Stryker to operate on, but also a deep, dynamic statistics platform, powered by AWS’ AI and ML systems.
This expansion is certainly a welcome one, as the esports industry is set to exceed expectations and grow to a value of $1.8 billion by the end of 2022. With each passing year, the esports industry grows exponentially, maturing with each new step. We’re seeing unprecedented levels of expansion and investment, and some of the top brands in the space are evolving to staggering heights. Recently, FaZe Clan took a huge step forward, being listed on the NASDAQ.
With the creation of the Project Stryker facility, Riot Games plans to set a new standard when it comes to esports broadcasting. In a press release from Riot Games, it was explained that:
“These facilities will help productions create unique shows across a variety of languages bringing the global esports experience closer to home. They will also feature AR/XR sound stages and multi-purpose insert studios to unlock more creative production opportunities for our games and entertainment teams.“
After months of work, the first Project Stryker location is ready to launch into action. Built on the foundations of a former nightclub, the contemporary, high-tech facility has reportedly created more than 120 new jobs in the local Dublin area.
