Since its inaugural event in 2020, Red Bull Wololo has proved itself to be the ultimate Age of Empires II tournament. For its fifth and final chapter, Red Bull approached Flux Broadcast to help them build a show that would take the competition and the spectacle to a whole new level.
The event would see the best AoE players from across the globe battle it out in epic 1v1 matches before convening at Castle Heidelberg in Germany for a medieval themed, LAN grand final. With the whole thing streamed live on Red Bull Twitch and YouTube, the stage was well and truly set for some incredible AoE action!
We wanted to elevate the Wololo experience so made full use of the spectacular location in creating a truly immersive broadcast. Opening and closing ceremonies let us set the narrative tone for the event, whilst cinematic reels and interviews with all the winners and losers brought the viewers closer to their champions than ever before.
From a technical viewpoint we also pulled out all the stops. We built LED screens into fake stone structures, enabling us to dynamically alter the livery in the room as players entered and exited. A living stained-glass window was built into the existing structure to form the backdrop behind the casters, allowing us to change the design as the tournament progressed.
We used Sony F55s with Ereca Cam Racers which gave us fibre control and racking and drastically reduced our impact on the aesthetic of the space. Our flyaway broadcast gallery has been specially designed to meet the needs of a demanding esports environment, whilst also saving space in challenging environments so was perfect for the task at hand.
Red Bull Wololo V was undoubtedly the most successful tournament in the series with viewers generating an unbelievable 1.6 million hours watched over 58 hours of airtime. The rollercoaster 7 game final contested by TheViper and Liereyy set a new record for viewers in the discipline hitting 77k at its peak. Getting the players together for the first time since the pandemic in the amazing setting of Castle Heidelberg was a huge moment for all involved and for sure, Flux will be there for whatever surprises Red Bull has in store for the future.
Wololoooooo!