NBA 2K

The power of extended reality production in live broadcast.

The NBA 2K 22 League live stream transformed OPTIK Studios into an elite league basketball court.

Live-streamed from Optik Studios to the world, the NBA 2K22 E-League Draft had it all: Virtual set design, augmented reality (AR), and both extended reality (xR) and remote workflows. Let us dive in.

Neon accents and strong lines culminate a fusion that presents a uniquely futuristic environment.
Hosts Scott Cole and Autumn Johnson are in the middle of a virtual basketball playing field.

For this virtual live broadcast, the client was looking for a sleek, polished virtual set design with a slight edge to capture the attention of at-home viewers. Our designers created an elite, futuristic virtual basketball court set with gritty/grungy street ball vibes in the game design software Unreal Engine.

A futuristic and hybrid mix of professional, sleek design with a gritty/grungy streetball vibe.
A futuristic and hybrid mix of professional, sleek design with a gritty/grungy streetball vibe.
Neon accents and strong lines culminate a fusion that presents a uniquely futuristic environment.
Neon accents and strong lines culminate a fusion that presents a uniquely futuristic environment.
The virtual ceiling emulates a studio’s truss lighting setup.
The virtual ceiling emulates a studio’s truss lighting setup.

The NBA 2K League Draft logo was recreated in Augmented Reality (AR) and superimposed onto the hosts’ desk, eliminating the need to physically build out the asset, and allowing it to cast reflections into the virtual environment while also providing the opportunity to explore different animations.

The augmented reality logo for the NBA 2K League Draft was superimposed onto the hosts’ desk.
On-the-fly graphics, such as sponsorship logos, team logos, and live video feeds of remote draftees were configured in the virtual set design.

On-the-fly graphics, such as sponsorship logos, team logos, and live video feeds of remote draftees were configured in the virtual set design.

wall includes space for 2D motion graphics and video PIPs.
The wall includes space for 2D motion graphics and video PIPs.
Virtual set design, augmented reality (AR), and both extended reality (xR) and remote workflows.
Meptik was tasked with providing on-the-fly graphics packages
On-the-fly graphics were configured in the virtual set design. within a fully xR environment.
On-the-fly graphics were configured in the virtual set design. within a fully xR environment.

Since the live draft took place in multiple locations simultaneously, a smooth transition between the live correspondents in NYC, the draft's host in Atlanta, and the remote locations of all draftees was required. The control method to run this technology was custom-built by our xR specialists just for this project.

Set extension was used to transform the LED Volume at Optik Studios into a 3-dimensional, infinite basketball court
The Meptik team had to combine both xR and remote workflows into one live stream.
The Meptik team had to combine both xR and remote workflows into one live stream.
Produced and directed remotely from Vancouver by Defacto Entertainment

The event was produced and directed remotely from Vancouver by Defacto Entertainment, with a control room in Toronto, a synchronous red carpet event happening in NYC and the live stream broadcasted from Atlanta.

Set extension was used to transform the LED Volume at Optik Studios into a 3-dimensional, infinite basketball court that placed both hosts in the middle of the playing field.

The power of extended reality production in live broadcast.
Stage size does not always matter. Thanks to set extension, the virtual set seems infinite.
Extended Reality (xR) allows the environment to be as extensive and wide as possible, even if the space of the LED Volume is limited.

Combining both xR and remote workflows into one live stream truly made this project unique.

See the full case study here.

NBA2kLeague
A group effort of the Defacto team, Creative Technology, and the Meptik team made this production possible at Optik Studios.

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