AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA media server platform played a pivotal role in delivering an immersive gaming experience for the recent Red Bull Levels: Elden Ring event, conceived and created by Red Bull and delivered by German event technology specialist Neumann & Müller.
The high-profile event, intended as a showcase for the new Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, brought the acclaimed fantasy setting of Elden Ring to life, bridging the virtual and physical worlds with a dynamic blend of haptic elements and high-definition visuals.
Part of Red Bull’s Levels video series, which takes fans behind the scenes of some of the biggest gaming launches, Red Bull Levels: Elden Ring transformed Atelier Gardens in Berlin in partnership with Bandai Namco, Elden Ring’s international publisher, and big-name streamers including MissMikkaa, eliasn97 and The_Happy_Hob.
Neumann & Müller’s team, led by senior project manager David Kugelmann and media engineer Simon Rode, brought all their expertise to bear with a 360° interactive installation that leveraged virtual production-style techniques and haptic elements to capture Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s unique atmosphere. The event featured a remarkable 15,000-pixel LED backdrop, complemented by a 14, 4K camera set-up (including the streamers’ cameras), robotic dolly systems and green screen commentator desks. PIXERA software powered the LED wall and green screen backgrounds, seamlessly integrating in-game assets into the live event.
Kugelmann explains that while Neumann & Müller is accustomed to handling technical production and broadcast technology, the Red Bull Levels project expanded the company’s scope to encompass all aspects of event management, including people flow and content coordination. Highlighting how PIXERA assisted in this expanded role, he explains: “PIXERA’s fast workflow enabled us to make on-the-fly adjustments without clients noticing any disruptions, which was crucial in maintaining the immersive experience.”
AV Stumpfl’s Austrian PIXERA team collaborated closely with Neumann & Müller, providing guidance and troubleshooting in real time. “Our custom servers ran the latest PIXERA software, version 2.0.65, ensuring we could handle the five hours of content without interruption,” Rode explained, adding that a minor LUT issue was resolved swiftly with the help of AV Stumpfl’s Rainer Brandstätter and Florian Eder.
A unique challenge in the visual design of Red Bull Levels: Elden Ring was maintaining consistency across the rotating 360° content, created by Neumann & Müller from in-game video and image files. The team used PIXERA, running on its own custom media servers, to manage elements like colour correction and motion effects to ensure a uniform visual experience throughout five hours’ worth of visual content, divided into ten distinct ‘worlds’.
According to Rode, Red Bull was “thrilled” with the outcome, while for Neumann & Müller the success of Red Bull Levels: Elden Ring – which follows an earlier Levels event, dubbed Red Bull Levels presents: Elden Ring, in February 2022 – is further validation of the event giant’s choice of PIXERA as its primary media server.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree was released on 21 June. Red Bull Levels: Elden Ring, delivered by Neumann & Müller, had 117,000 peak viewers of the live broadcast, more than 1.8 million live views, and 3m+ impressions on the Red Bull Gaming X (Twitter) channel.
