New production studio offers covid-secure esports

Located in the University’s Ron Cooke Hub on Campus East, the studio incorporates innovative virtual studio technology and data-driven production tools pioneered by the York research team. 

The team overcame restrictions arising from the pandemic to deliver an agile, covid-secure production environment in which to demonstrate R&D outputs.

As research and development lead on the UKRI-funded Weavr project, the University has driven R&D across AI, data-analytics, immersive technology and broadcasting to provide rich insights into how esports audiences engage in immersive experiences.

The studio features a combination of tools that allow the production team to operate their equipment both onsite and remotely. The studio also provides alternatives to the use of in situ hardware, enabling the team to scale broadcast capabilities to adapt to any restrictions that might be in place.

The studio set up is testament to a highly successful and ongoing collaboration between researchers from the departments of Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media, Computer Science, the Digital Creativity Labs, and industry partners, as part of the Weavr R&D team. 

This summer, the studio will be used to broadcast two online esports tournaments featuring Weavr technology, including the Weavr Twitch extension and VR experience. The events will connect researchers, production crew, talent and spectators regardless of any restrictions that might be in place.

Find out more about the Weavr project