Esports production shares many qualities with live sports, but sound engineering is a whole new game. IBC365 explores the complexities of controlling who hears what in a crucible of noise.
Sound has always played a major part in the gaming experience. Gunshots, revving engines and screeching tyres are the obvious aural signatures of shoot-’em-ups and auto-based games but supporting these are subtler backgrounds and atmospheres that help create the various environments in which players find themselves. All this carries over to the large-scale, multi-player, arena-based world of esports, but the live, professional nature of this increasingly popular form of game-playing calls for specific audio techniques that set it apart from its home counterpart.
The main difference is the scale, with the games taking place in an arena and involving a large number of people, all of whom need to hear what is going on. Cameron O’Neill, Country Manager for broadcast facilities company NEP Japan, divides those involved into three categories: the sports group, comprising the competitors and their support teams (coaches and backup players) plus the referees ensuring everyone plays by the rules; the audience, live production teams and the announcers/commentators, known in esports as ‘shoutcasters’; and the broadcast and streaming crews producing coverage of the events...
You are not signed in
Only registered users can read the rest of this article.
Closing the security execution gap: “We are in a crisis… we collectively need to be aware”
Gathering at an IBC Roundtable, the industry’s top security experts confronted the 2026 TPN Star Report’s urgent results, the sharp increase in threat exposure, and the missing execution step for broadcasters, studios, and service providers alike.
The dish is not dead: Why the future of TV delivery is hybrid
IP is clearly gaining ground. Yet, infrastructure and distribution specialists suggest that it’s no silver bullet for the reliable, personalised, instantaneous delivery that today’s audiences demand. In this context, has satellite lost relevance, or is it simply no longer the only player in orbit?
World AI Film Festival: “There is no emotion in AI”
The World AI Film Festival fielded new and established storytelling voices, but the jury is out on whether AI can capture the human spirit of cinema. Adrian Pennington reports.
IBC Content Everywhere: Cloud adoption reaches a critical point
The adoption of cloud-based working practices is an ongoing process within the Content Everywhere industry. While most streaming companies have embraced the cloud, there have been concerns in the past about a lack of strategic focus and whether providers are adopting cloud-native solutions rather than relying on virtualised or cloud-ready solutions.
Virtual production after the hype: Where it actually works now
Virtual production is no longer being treated purely as spectacle or novelty – it is becoming a production tool, with clear strengths, clear limits, and a growing body of experience around how to use it well across a range of budgets. IBC365 investigates.
