Riot has transformed its esports arena for the new Valorant League

This weekend is important for him Be brave esports, with the launch of a new professional league for teams in North America, Latin America and Brazil. The debut of the VCT Americas league, as it is known, will also mark the first time Be brave games took place live and in person in North America. That meant Riot had to redesign its Los Angeles studio to be more high-tech and flexible with the league sharing the space. League of Legends — the new esports arena may even be transformative.

The venue is formerly known as the LCS Arena and has been home to the best for years League of Legends league in North America (LCS). As part of the redesign, the studio space has been christened the Riot Games Arena. In fact, it is already in use. The technically more impressive space, with its giant LED screens and extensive lighting, is being used for the current LCS season, which kicked off in January. But the space was also designed to be modular so it could support the needs of each game and: make them look different from each other.

“We’ve been looking to update the studio for a while, as it’s been a few years since the LCS studio was updated,” explains Bear Jemison, head of Riot. Be brave esports for the Americas region. “I think with the launch of VCT Americas, there was an opportunity to almost future-proof our production as well as figure out how to best use the space for both esports and indoor events and collegiate events.”

Planning for the redesign began last September. And for the most part, the difference Be brave and: League of Legends broadcasts will be visual. The huge LED screens will have different graphics and the layout of the players is slightly different. in League teams line up side by side while Be brave squads are facing each other. You can get an idea of ​​the two layouts in the pictures below.

But there are some more technical differences between the two. It is most remarkable that Be brave The studio version had to be designed so that three different groups of broadcast talent could call the games simultaneously in three different languages. “We didn’t want it to look like the Latin American and Brazilian teams were just visiting the Los Angeles studio,” says Jamison. “We wanted to really design the space to feel like this is America’s broadcast and a celebration of all regions.”

There are some other technical details. Be brave requires clearer sound, for example so fans can hear things like footsteps, but the biggest feature of the arena is its modular design. It’s kind of like Madison Square Garden replacing the hardwood of a basketball court with a hockey rink, only with a lot more screens and countless wires. According to Dawn Persson, who led the technology and production side of the transformation, it currently takes about two hours and 12 to 16 people to transform the space. League to: Be brave and vice versa. The goal is to drop an hour. That speed may not be necessary right now, as both games currently have matches on different days of the week, but it could be important in the future.

“We don’t have a crystal ball as to what the future of Riot esports will look like,” Persson says. “But with success Be brave and VCT, we wanted to create a space… So the ability to flip from one view to another and use our time effectively was something we thought about.”

The modular nature should allow production teams to adapt more quickly in the future. It Be brave the league is brand new and the LCS is constantly changing, so it’s likely that there will be setup changes in the coming seasons. But the space is also important to Riot’s esports ambitions as a whole; After several years of shuffling between live and individual events, the revamped studio is the permanent home both leagues need.

“Playing inside the crowd, in the home arena, it adds a special energy that’s been missing for the last few years,” says Jamieson.

You can see the new space when VCT Americas launches on April 1st at 3pm ET.