NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

E-Sport's major league play: LetPlay.Live's Auckland Studio goes live today

Chris Schulz
By Chris Schulz
NZ Herald·
14 Feb, 2018 10:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A new eSports studio has opened in Auckland to show off New Zealand's best gamers.

A new gaming initiative in the heart of Auckland has been designed to help Kiwi players rise to the top by staying at home. Chris Schulz reports.

Zac Woodham has been playing games like Call of Duty and Counter-Strike for years.

The 20-year-old is quite good at his gaming. In fact, from his New Plymouth home, he's starting to earn some decent money.

Now, he's jettisoned part-time employment and gaming is his full-time job.

Through streaming, competitions and sponsorship, and by playing "eight to 10 hours a day," he's earning "enough to live".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But to make that next step up to the international stage and compete in major tournaments, Woodham thought he'd have to move to Australia.

"Every other event I've been to has been in Australia," he says. He estimates gamers there earn "$10,000 to $20,000 a month" through salaries, streaming and sponsorship.

Now, he might not have to move.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That's thanks to a new e-sports initiative between Sky City and e-sports company LetPlay.Live.

A commentator takes in the LetsPlay.Live Studio at the Sky Tower.
A commentator takes in the LetsPlay.Live Studio at the Sky Tower.

The two companies are behind a new e-sports broadcasting centre set up on Sky Tower's first floor, with gaming rooms set up with high-performance PCs for teams to play each other, as well as high-tech broadcasting equipment for livestreaming.

Dubbed "The Studio", the venue has been designed to help Kiwi gamers train properly so they can compete on an international level, says LetPlay.Live director Duane Mutu.

"[To keep] the best players, you want a place where they have the best facilities for them to train and play. That's what they get overseas, that's why it has to be first class," he says.

Discover more

Entertainment

Gather your friends for this bleak serial killer romp

10 Jan 05:00 PM
Entertainment

Star Wars Battlefront II is better than the loot boxes suggest

24 Jan 05:00 PM
Entertainment

The Inpatient will unsettle you to your core

07 Feb 05:00 PM
Gamers in action at LetsPlay.Live's Auckland Studio at the Sky Tower.
Gamers in action at LetsPlay.Live's Auckland Studio at the Sky Tower.

The idea for a full-time e-sports broadcasting studio came to Mutu when he was putting on e-sports events and saw unprepared Kiwi teams coming in to play together.

Often, it was the first time they'd met each other.

"A lot would come in and they were so unused to the cameras and playing as a team. Some had never been together, they'd just been playing remotely," says Mutu.

"You can't go overseas like that. You're playing in front of 40,000 or 50,000 viewers, even more."

Mutu's goal is to be able to bring New Zealand teams up to a professional level without having to relocate overseas.

To do that, there'll be weekly tournaments, competitions and league-based play. Games are being broadcast on Twitch and on Sky TV. Two full-time commentators are on site.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Going back a couple of years, Kiwis sitting at home had no real ability [to turn gaming into a career]. A couple tried to do it and thought, 'This is a big wide world and I'm out of here'," he says.

"Now the ability is here for them to come and do it. The top-tier teams can play all year round."

The commentary team at LetsPlay.Live's e-sports studio at the Sky Tower.
The commentary team at LetsPlay.Live's e-sports studio at the Sky Tower.

Woodham hopes to be at the LetPlay.Live Studios as often as he can.

"This is a really cool place," he says during a break. "All the gear's top-of-the-line stuff compared with some of the places I've been to."

As for that move to Australia, Woodham's put it on hold - for now.

"I've been thinking about moving to Australia, but now that this is here, this is just as good.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's exciting. It's big for New Zealand."

What: LetPlay.Live's e-sport gaming Studio
Where and when: Streaming on Twitch and Sky Sport from today

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Tātaki’s Daniel Clarke's favourite spots in Tāmaki Makaurau

21 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Entertainment

Inside Universal’s big bet on How to Train Your Dragon

21 Jun 02:00 AM
Premium
Lifestyle

'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

20 Jun 10:00 PM

Help for those helping hardest-hit

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Tātaki’s Daniel Clarke's favourite spots in Tāmaki Makaurau

Tātaki’s Daniel Clarke's favourite spots in Tāmaki Makaurau

21 Jun 05:00 PM

Every week we ask a well-known Aucklander for their favourite spots in the city.

Premium
Inside Universal’s big bet on How to Train Your Dragon

Inside Universal’s big bet on How to Train Your Dragon

21 Jun 02:00 AM
Premium
'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

'Two small boys left fatherless and their mother cast as a scarlet woman'

20 Jun 10:00 PM
Premium
Victor Rodger's play Black Faggot, was groundbreaking - how relevant is it today?

Victor Rodger's play Black Faggot, was groundbreaking - how relevant is it today?

20 Jun 07:00 PM
Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi
sponsored

Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP