Maze GmbH's Esports Hub "Esport Factory" Uses Blackmagic Design in its Case Study

According to Blackmagic Design, the Esport Factory, an eSports hub run by Maze GmbH, is running a dedicated facility for everything from boot camps to LAN parties and intense eSports broadcasts, powered entirely by Blackmagic Design products, creating an ecosystem that enhances the gaming experience.

Maze CEO Marvin Roman commented:

Roman: For Maze, Blackmagic technology has been the foundation of our success at Esport Factory.

This enables you to design efficient workflows and deliver top-notch production across all your gaming and esports projects.

The Esport Factory is notable for being the first gaming facility in Europe with its own dedicated studios and accommodation, and as an independent operator, Maze works with international brands and organisations, giving it the agility to cater to the unique needs of each client.

Roman: Being an independent business allows us to provide a personalized experience for each client.

Whether clients are using games for recruitment or developing campaigns that resonate with audiences beyond the world of gaming, Maze injects creativity into everything it does.

Roman: We are a young, passionate team in the games industry and we love bringing creative ideas to life for our clients.

Innovation and adaptability are at the core of Maze’s approach.

Roman: We have a fully equipped control room with the technology to handle any request our clients may have.

“Efficient signal distribution within the studio is especially important for large productions where multiple spaces need to work seamlessly simultaneously. Blackmagic has been a key partner, allowing us to manage both the structural and technical requirements of our facility.”

To produce their live streams, Maze uses live production switchers including Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Constellation 8K combined with a Videohub router managed by macro. This setup has enabled Maze to run large scale events such as the Twitch stream for the charity event Friendly Fire, which has been viewed by over 800,000 people this year alone and raised nearly 2 million euros.

Roman: We’ve been holding Friendly Fire for five years now and have always enjoyed it.

It was really meaningful to have my friends Pietsmiet, Gronkh, and even Twitch CEO Dan Clancy in attendance.

The challenge of managing a complex web of signals is part of the thrill of e-sports production, he says.

Roman: When producing a live stream that spans multiple locations within a venue, it’s important to organize a large number of signals in an intelligent, efficient and, above all, reliable way.

“Screens are often used in stage designs to create branding elements or a particular look and feel. In such setups, the ATEM switcher’s aux outputs, or other mixer level outputs, are used. These signals are then processed by multiple routers connected in series and distributed to their respective destinations.”

Similarly, the production team needs to seamlessly integrate multiple video feeds, including camera feeds from the anchor set, analysis studio and stage, as well as facecam feeds alongside game content, all of which need to coordinate.

“ We use a lot of Blackmagic hardware, from Micro Studio Camera 4K G2s for filming to Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12×12 and MultiView 16. This setup allows us to decide at every moment what signal to send to the switcher.