Activision uses LifeSize HD video to accelerate game development

Activision, publisher of popular video games like Guitar Hero, Call of Duty 4 and Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, uses HD video to link international developers creating next-generation games, reduce travel and accelerate business cycles

Organization

Activision, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), Santa Monica, California

Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Activision is the company behind such well-known video games as Guitar Hero, Call of Duty 4 and Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground. Video games are big business – one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of the entertainment industry. Activision posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

Activision is headquartered in Santa Monica, California and maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

Immersive, interactive and engaging, gaming has gained broad popularity worldwide. Gamers are always looking for novel, engaging experiences and will quickly leap to the latest ‘hot’ game. Innovative new game ideas and updates to existing games must be acted upon quickly.

Challenge

Successful video games combine stunning visuals, engaging game play and rich sound quality. Game development requires effective collaboration. While it is helpful for the developers to see one another face-to-face, it is vital to see the game being played – the best way to demonstrate a new feature or idea in this medium.

Ideally, all developers could be in the same room watching the latest version of a game on screen as colleagues demonstrate new features, but Activision’s development teams are spread across the globe. Previous attempts to use video communications were unsuccessful because computer video shared over standard definition systems was blurry, the motion handling was very poor and the systems would often freeze in the middle of key project meetings.

Activision needed a solution that would allow both face-to-face interaction and a shared view of fast-moving, graphics-intensive video games. Because Activision’s games are played on multiple platforms such as Sony PLAYSTATION® 3 and PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox 360™ and Nintendo® Wii™, they required a solution that would enable them to share the video from a wide variety of game consoles.

Activision’s desire to share full-motion video faced a critical challenge – some development sites did not have a great deal of internet bandwidth. Activision needed a solution that could deliver excellent quality at any available bandwidth.

Activision’s key needs included:

Video quality: Offer high quality data sharing via HDMI input to allow full-motion video from a wide variety of game console outputs to be shown to many locations

Bandwidth efficiency: Deliver quality video with minimal bandwidthSimple

Simple multipoint calls: Host multi-point high definition video calls with no external equipment

Solution

Activision chose LifeSize as their exclusive endpoint provider and HD video systems were soon implemented throughout the organization. LifeSize® Express™ and Room™ systems were installed in key locations around the globe, including Activision headquarters, development studios in Southern California, Canada, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, London, Liverpool and Dublin as well as sales and marketing sites in France.

“LifeSize allows us not only to interact directly with our colleagues around the world, but with LifeSize Express, we can connect different game consoles through the HDMI input on the back of the codec and actually play our games with impeccable quality,” said Thomas Fenady, Director of IT for Activision. “It’s pretty remarkable what we can do over the public internet with LifeSize.”

Activision was particularly impressed with the video quality LifeSize delivered even at low bandwidth. Activision’s sales and marketing office in France, using a low-cost DSL internet connection, can now send smooth, crisp images of full motion game play at 30 frames per second with only 256Kbps of bandwidth.

Result

Prior to using LifeSize, Activision executives and developers found videoconferencing to be more of a hassle than a solution. Now, it’s accelerating their business cycle.

In the past, Activision conducted monthly ‘greenlight’ meetings in which development teams in Europe and the U.S. would travel to California to discuss the latest features and enhancements of their games. Now with LifeSize, these meetings are held weekly, thus reducing travel expenses and actually allowing the teams to meet more often.

“LifeSize has shown its value tenfold,” Fenady said. “Our LifeSize conference rooms at headquarters are just booked solid. We have definitely reduced development time and travel using these systems.”