- EA's esports division has teamed up with Grass Valley to strengthen its broadcasts and production value for FIFA and Apex Legends esports events
- Grass Valley brings a large array of solutions configurable for a variety of live events and formats
- EA has already run two pilot tests with Grass Valley for both FIFA and Apex Legends, prompting the present decision to seek a longer partnership
Electronic Arts (EA) has struck a partnership with Grass Valley to bring a more immersive and worthwhile production for its remote esports tournaments.
Remote Tournaments by EA Get the CGE Treatment
EA's dedicated esports division, CGE, has revealed a new partnership with Montreal-headquartered company Grass Valley which will be in charge of running EA Sports FIFA 21 and Apex Legends tournaments and events.
The company will enable Electronic Arts Competitive Gaming Entertainment to host events remotely and coordinate large teams without having to shift staff from one venue to the next.
Given the global exposure to both the FIFA franchise and Apex Legends, this is welcome news for anyone who has coveted a little more leeway. The Grass Valley dedicated system will offer support for 2020/2021 FIFA World Cup qualifying events.
EA has picked the organization citing its ability to deliver an unmatched viewing experience paired with a technical architecture that allows the solution to maintain low-latency and high frame-rate experience delivered directly to fans worldwide.
CGE Head of Broadcasts Joe Lynch joined the conversation by extolling the simplicity of the Grass Valley system, replacing EA's own unreliable cloud solution that has made broadcasts unnecessarily complicated.
Successful Pilot Tests Run to Fully-Fledged Relationship
“Grass Valley's GV AMPP was a helpful solution, bringing all of our needs together within one harmonized ecosystem,” Lynch added.
Moving forward, EA will rely on the Grass Valley Agile Media Processing Platform (GV AMPP) that adds flexibility to the broadcast and a better, more immersive experience to fans.
Grass Valley CEO and president Tim Shoulders explained that the platform was capable of working to numerous specifications and offer a “wind range of live event configurations and deliver the same rich experience and stunning images.”
EA has already run pilot tests for GV AMPP, once in December during an Apex Legends live tournament and then as part of the FIFA 21 Global Series European Qualifier 1 Event. Both events were brought to a satisfactory end, prompting EA to seek and formalize its relationship with Grass Valley in the long-term.
