Silver Spoon delivered the first of a series of technological achievements when it created an immersive, simulcast viewing experience for kids of CBS Sports’ Christmas Day 2022 game on the Nickelodeon network. The New York-based real-time animation and virtual production studio has enhanced the action in the field with mixed reality effects and holiday-themed characters. This includes Santa his Claus, a mischievous snowball crew, and a giant Yeti that constantly wreaks havoc during the game. , and, of course, the famous Nickelodeon slime.
The 2022 Christmas game was the network’s third and largest simulcast designed to bring together generations of football fans. This state-of-the-art kid-friendly experience combines artificial intelligence (AI), live AR graphics and mixed reality, and has never before been used live.
Simulcast viewership saw double-digit increases across all major viewer demographics over last year’s game. For adults aged 18 to her 49, the game was his highest-rated Christmas Day airing on Nickelodeon since 2011.
The overall creative theme was “Santa’s job done, now it’s time to relax and unwind at the soccer game.” Silver Spoon’s goal is to build a cohesive narrative throughout the game, where each moment is compelling, rather than appearing as his one-off graphic where each asset triggers in different parts of the game. It was to tell a story. Silver Spoon’s virtual production platform for games leveraged Unreal Engine and Pixotope for seamless real-time rendering and compositing.
The Christmas Day game simulcast is notable for its series of graphics and mixed reality milestones.
- For the first time ever, game-controlled characters such as Santa, Yeti, and the iconic Nickelodeon airship will appear live. This novel use of technology allowed AR operators to control character movements live on air using standard game controllers, allowing unprecedented levels of flexibility and creativity.
- First live interview with an anime character and first use of real-time motion capture of an anime character on live TV. Nickelodeon favorite Patrick Star used his technology to capture his real-time facials and interact live with commentators.
- One of the first applications for Unreal Engine 5.0, it is widely used to power games and XR experiences, and is intended for broadcast-level live AR.
Silver Spoon Managing Director Dan Pack said: “We can do anything anywhere to add layers and layers of entertainment to existing broadcasts. With a degree of control, the viewer doesn’t know what will happen next.”
Laura Herzing, Executive Producer of Silver Spoon, said: All creatives were developed in a way that allowed the director to understand what was included and have an opinion on how it fit into broadcast. It helped us achieve our goal of crafting narrative storytelling, adding unexpected delights to our viewers, and pushing the boundaries of technology like never before. “
Pixotope CEO Marcus Brodersen said: “Their work with CBS Sports on the Nickelodeon sim is the latest in a long line of creative successes. They are examples of boundary-pushing, immersive storytelling that is at the core of all our products.”
Silver Spoon’s Pack concludes with: spoil the gaming experience. “
Source: Silver Spoon
Whitney is a freelance writer focused on VFX-driven fantasy films and TV shows, and preschool animation.
