The final moments of the opening ceremonies for the League of Legends World Championship featured a star performer who appeared to be lifted into the air by the hand of a giant Mech. It was an impressive display of artistic vision and technical expertise, and it is the reason that Carrie Dunn, creative director for Riot, has been a little stressed of late. She says that there is anxiety when you have a cultural star in the air.
Worlds is the highlight of League's competitive calendar, with the finals pitting two teams against each other who have worked all year for a chance to win. The return of the legendary Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, also known as the "unkillable demon king", was featured in this year's edition. The opening ceremony is often the best part of the games.
Riot has used holograms and augmented reality before. With covid related restrictions in place, the team has had to get more creative. In 2020 there was a mixed reality stage to make the crowd-free competition feel more exciting, and last year there was a huge music video tied to the release of the movie "Ar Arcane"
With the promise of a return to a packed arena at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the team wanted to create a spectacle that would work for both the audience and fans at home. It was ruled out that augmented reality is only really cool when you're looking at a screen. They decided to use multiple technologies, including a huge jumbotron-style display at ground level and a stage covered with thousands of tiles. The big holograms are arguably the highlight.
Riot used a technology called a 3D hologram to create a hologram. The members of True Damage were able to perform in Paris because of that. The team uses the same tools but on a bigger scale. They were able to pull off the big moment by using three panels that were as tall as 48 feet.
It was used for a lot of small and complex moments. During the opening ceremony, League character Pyke appeared to use his trademark move, the bone skewer, to pull a real person towards him. It required a hologram to bring Pyke to life, precise lighting to create a sense of movement, and multiple performers who could hit those cues perfectly. Nick Troop says that the technical complexity and ambition this year is a new peak.
To pull off this year's ceremony, 55 cameras, a nine-story-tall lighting truss, 24 30K projectors, and a media center setup were needed. There were more than 470,000 pounds of equipment needed for the event. The last Worlds final was held in an arena.
The right people were needed. The team knew before they got him that they wanted him. She says that the mood board was occupied by the rapper. He was the plan. It took us a while to get him, but we knew we wanted him for a while. We hoped that he would fill it. When he finally signed on, she cried. We have to get to work because he is on board, so it was both relief and excitement. Fans were treated to a glimpse of what to expect when the single "Star Walkin'" was released. A version of the League character Azir was included in the video, the same one who would appear to lift the rapper on stage.
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Riot Games Inc. via Getty Images
Each act of the opening ceremony had its own song. It began with the anthem " The Call" sung by Edda Hayes, which was followed by Jackson Wang's performance of "Fire to the Fuse", and finally, a performance by the artist "Lil Nas X" It was important to find a performer for that section. When she saw Wang perform at the festival, she realized he would be a perfect fit.
She says that his charisma and presence on stage is so obvious. It was necessary to find someone who could dance no-holds-barred at a fast pace while hitting because of his choreography ability. There is no room for error in his section, because it is so closely linked to the technology.
On stage, his charisma and presence is so obvious.
A brand-new trophy was the other star of the show. Tiffany & Co created a new version of the Summoner's Cup for Riot before the Worlds finals. It was a prominent feature during the ceremony, and the team lucked out in that Azir was wearing a very Tiffany shade of blue. It is a moment that requires a lot of thought.
It doesn't feel like it's the Summoner's Cup until the pro players lift it. It was our chance to induct it into the sport.
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