CHINA: When the Honor of the Kings Grand Finale took over Beijing’s iconic Bird’s Nest Stadium, it wasn’t just an esports championship; it was a full-scale visual spectacle that fused live performance, choreography, massive LED architecture, lighting design, and Augmented Reality into one of the most ambitious stadium productions the industry has seen. At the heart of this extraordinary integration was MA Lighting International’s grandMA3 system, delivering the networked control backbone for an opening ceremony featuring 10 giant LED screens and more than 5,000 luminaires.

As esports continues its explosive rise globally, the Asia-Pacific region remains its undisputed epicentre, and few events demonstrate that better than the Grand Finals of the King Pro League (KPL) for Honor of the Kings; the world’s most-played multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, developed by TiMi Studio Group. Hosted before more than 62,000 attendees, the event not only delivered an unforgettable live experience, but also secured a Guinness World Record for the largest ever live esports audience.

Lighting design, supply, and stadium-wide systems integration were executed by leading entertainment technology specialist and MA Lighting distributor ACE, using grandMA3 to unify every visual layer across the enormous production. The show centred around a massive main stage with an LED floor spanning over 3,500 square metres, while 10 huge double-sided LED screens suspended above could dynamically shift between gameplay visuals, live performances, and ceremonial content. Surrounding the stadium were over 5,000 lighting fixtures, including more than 1,800 moving head luminaires, alongside LED strips, lasers, and foggers. grandMA3’s centralised show control integrated seamlessly with media servers and timecode to synchronise lighting, screens, and effects across the venue-scale canvas.

To manage the production’s immense 180,000 parameters, three experienced lighting design directors i.e. Zheng Zhaoliang, Bei Wen, and Liu Yanyang, worked alongside a team of programmers and assistants using a grandMA3 system comprising six full-size consoles, six grandMA3 processing units XL, and 32 grandMA3 processing units M for parameter expansion.

For Lead Designer Zheng Zhaoliang, who has worked with MA Lighting systems since 2010 and transitioned from grandMA to grandMA2 in 2011, this production marked his very first use of grandMA3. “I wasn’t entirely familiar with the system, and that did affect my programming speed, but the access to new programming features compensated for that initial unfamiliarity.”

“Lighting design is an innovation-driven profession,” says Zhaoliang, explaining the choice of grandMA3, “and we need to use new control equipment to maximise and enrich our visuals capability. Having used grandMA2 for many years, and with some of ACE’s shows already using grandMA3, this was an excellent opportunity for us to use it on a large-scale event – and we felt confident in mastering it after preliminary training.”

Beyond stability and parameter management, the platform significantly streamlined pre-programming workflows — critical when on-site programming windows were limited. “It helped us to avoid dividing effect programming among multiple designers and to present lighting visuals more efficiently and centrally within one system,” says Zheng Zhaoliang.

The design workflow was built in WYSIWYG before being imported into grandMA3 and visualisation software via the MVR (My Virtual Rig) file format. “Support for MVR gives seamless data import, significantly reducing labour and allowing more focus on artistic creation,” he explains.

The team also made extensive use of the grandMA3 viz-key, enabling connection to visualisation software without additional hardware. “This enables programming and rehearsal in a virtual environment,” says Zheng Zhaoliang, “without relying on physical fixtures and stages. It saves significant hardware preparation time and costs in the early stages of the project.”

Among the most impactful creative tools was the Phaser effect engine and its new multi-dimensional effects concept. “Through the intuitive interface, we can finely adjust each characteristic of an effect, like operating an audio equalizer,” Zhaoliang explains. “The Phaser effect engine is more like an intelligent effect factory, breaking down complex effects into intuitive parameter dimensions. It allows us to create more complex, organic dynamic effects with fewer steps.”

He also highlights the Selection Grid and Generator functions. “The Selection Grid helps with managing multi-instance fixtures – like pixel lights – allowing us to quickly select, group, and control any part of a fixture matrix, which greatly improves pixel-mapping efficiency. Also, the Generator function enriches effects for pixel fixtures through algorithms, enhancing both variety and controllability.”

One standout example was the deployment of 1,028 pixel strobe bars installed to create a controllable ring of light throughout the stands, delivering unprecedented pixel effects driven entirely by grandMA3.

Reflecting on the scale of the achievement, Zhaoliang concludes: “Despite the vast scale and complexity of the show, our aim was to treat the stadium as an expanded version of a theatre – and the grandMA3 facilitated that integration for us.”

He adds, “We received excellent support from the ACE team throughout the entire process, from initial preparation and pre-programming to on-site rehearsals and the live performance itself.”