Case Study: Riot Games

Game developer revolutionizes sports, media, and entertainment with Cisco server and network technologies.

Riot Games launched the first of three groundbreaking broadcast facilities to revolutionize esports, media, and entertainment.

200G

network core is used in the new Dublin facility

3.2 petabytes

of video, audio, and game data can be transferred in 28 minutes

64K video at 120 fps

is now within reach

The challenge

  • Reinvent the esports viewing experience
  • Eliminate network and processing constraints
  • Simplify and streamline global IT operations

All of our infrastructure was e-waste, and all of our events were one-off fire drills just a few short years ago.

Scott Adametz, Director of Technology, Riot Games

The solution

A full-stack, software-defined compute and network infrastructure with cloud-based management, featuring:

  • Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches connect live event feeds to remote broadcast facilities that produce, broadcast, and translate content for millions of esports fans around the world.
  • Cisco Intersight Infrastructure Service provides proactive alerts when errors are detected, well before they have a chance to affect gameplay or viewership.
  • Cisco UCS servers power The Realm, mission-critical game servers that move from city to city in support of Riot's global esports competitions.
  • Cisco Meraki cloud network platform provides the on-site network for each event, allowing local access control and connecting game servers to broadcast devices.

From the routers and switches that carry every packet of video to the servers that power hundreds of back-end tools and applications, we rely on Cisco at every step of the production process.

Scott Adametz, Director of Technology, Riot Games

The results

  • Established groundbreaking production and broadcast facility that can transfer 3.2 petabytes of data in 28 minutes
  • Now able to produce six events simultaneously, representing the broadcast equivalent of the Super Bowl
  • Simplified management of hundreds of devices all over the world from a single, cloud-based console

We're breaking traditional broadcast molds, our ambitions continue to grow, and Cisco deserves a lot of the credit.

Scott Adametz, Director of Technology, Riot Games