Sardine Media Stream Black Ops Live to 180,000 + viewers
Article published on 17th November 2010
Call of Duty: Black Ops was the biggest games release of this year, and Sardine Media were asked by Production company Mediakinectic to handle the live webcast of this massive launch event. The games industry and gamers alike have been eagerly awaiting the release of the latest Call of Duty game, and so for many, the webcast was their first taste of Black Ops. So no wonder ustream alone had over 180,00 viewers for the Launch. The stream was live for 6 whole hours and included footage from the Launch party, the Oxford Street Game store and pre-recorded interviews and adverts.
The Launch Party, held at Battersea Power Station and hosted by George Lamb, was filled with over 500 guests and VIPs each eager to get their hands on the game. Gadget Show presenters Jason Bradbury and Ortis Deley, Gail Porter, and Goldie, were just a few of the celebs who attended. Each of these celebs were interviewed by the Xbox presenters, Dan Maher and Graeme Boyd, on the "black carpet", with the interviews going live to the internet. Jason Bradbury, like most of the celebs, kept his Twitter followers up to date with tweets about the Launch. The stream from Battersea also included a live performance from Tinie Tempah, DJ sets, and a demonstration of the game by footballer Wayne Bridge.
Sardine Media also handled a live link up to the Game store in Oxford Street to capture the excitement as the doors were opened at midnight for the public to purchase. The street outside was covered with avid gamers queuing up to get their hands on the game. Three guys showed their dedication to the Call of Duty series by camping outside the store overnight to make sure they were the first in line. The Treyarch team honoured this dedication by sending some of their team down to the store to personally sign copies of the game. Presenter Greame Boyd made the journey from Battersea to the store for the last hour of the stream. As well as capturing the feel of anticipation before the release, Greame interviewed some of the fans queued up outside, and also some of the Game employees working late for the midnight release. These interviews, and the countdown to the release were all streamed live via Skype to the Production team at Battersea, and then out to the internet.
Sardine Media were part of a 45-strong film and streaming crew that worked almost a 24 hour day to ensure that the public had access to one of the biggest games releases in history. The team worked beyond their call of duty to produce an excellent webcast that entertained and informed worldwide fans of the game, desperate to be a part of the release. The stream required an epic level of effort and dedication, but left Sardine Media with a great sense of pride at what had been achieved.
Photography by Chris Geary - www.chrisgearyphotography.com
