$500M Toronto Esports Venue Planned
A Toronto organization is taking the next step forward for North American esports venues with plans for a nearly $500 million venue. Continue Reading $500M Toronto Esports Venue Planned
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Tag: Esports
Focus: Esports — Game On
Two of the best-known esports arenas in the U.S. are back open, although they’re catering more to casual players than big events for now.
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Pacnet ’20 — Esports: Game On
BUILDING A NEW WORLD: Moderator Jeff Robins with John Fazio of Nerd Street Gamers, Joe Marsh of T1 Entertainment & Sports and Mark Deppe of the University of California, Irvine. (Courtesy Paciolan) Competitive gaming develops a range of facilities, from pros to the grassroots The growth of esports secured it a spot at Pacnet this year, as three people with different views of competitive gaming’s facilities landscape contributed to the discussion. Helping shape those views is the unusual top-down way in which esports developed. “The pro scene got popular and developed quicker than the amateur college and high school scene, so we’re kind of working backwards now,” said Joe Marsh, CEO of T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between Comcast Spectacor and South Korea’s SK Telecom. “We have these top-tier pro leagues, and then we have this void that we’re trying to fill. … We need more investment… Continue Reading Pacnet ’20 — Esports: Game On
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Esports Levels Up
Confetti rains down on the winners of the Call of Duty World League Championship at LA’s Pauley Pavilion in August. (Getty Images) The competitive video game industry is here to stay Nicolaj Jensen, a 23-year-old from Denmark, sits onstage. He is fixated on his monitor and the voices in his headset as he and his four Team Liquid teammates all deftly maneuver their mice and keyboards, eyes transfixed on their monitors. They sit in front of a massive LED screen before a boisterous crowd at the 4,353-capacity Verti Music Hall in Berlin, while opposing team members sit at their own rigs in front of another LED screen. Commentators’ voices are piped into the venue’s sound system alongside the game’s audio effects, but Jensen can’t pay attention to any of that. He has to remain laser-focused. In a flash his opponent — Song “Rookie” Eui-jin, a 22-year-old from South Korea playing… Continue Reading Esports Levels Up
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VN Conference: The Allure, Challenges of Esports
“Esports: Where Do We Go From Here?” Tyler Endres, CEO, Esports Arena Craig Levine, global chief strategy officer, ESL Todd Merry, chief marketing officer, Delaware North Brian Mirakian, director of brand activation and senior principal, Populous Moderated by Bob Jordan, CEO, 1337 Facilities, LLC/founder, Venue Road Tuesday’s esports panel at the VenuesNow Conference in many ways reflected the esports market itself: fluid, freewheeling and full of excitement, as a panel of highly energized and informed experts brought insights and perspective to what for many is an untapped and rapidly developing market with immense potential. Playing off the panel’s subtitle, moderator Jordan’s first questions succinctly asked, “Where exactly is here?” All agreed the market is bigger than ever. “It’s an overnight phenomena that took 20 plus years, but really this last three years has been accelerated,” Levine said. Evidence of this includes the number of venues now being designed or renovated… Continue Reading VN Conference: The Allure, Challenges of Esports
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The ‘Elite’ of Campus Esports: Retrofits
A college recreation space converted for gaming use. (Jackie Nguyen / AmpThink) Bob Jordan’s 1337 Facilities is updating colleges for the new era Sports venue consultant Bob Jordan has launched 1337 Facilities, a joint venture to develop esports centers on college campuses and municipal recreation centers. The firm’s other investors include executives with AmpThink, a builder of Wi-Fi systems at arenas and stadiums; Gary Briggs, CEO of Real Time Strategies and a producer of esports events; and esports entrepreneur Jordan Rambis, son of former NBA player Kurt Rambis. Together, they’re targeting the grassroots level within the esports community by focusing on the vast opportunities at the college level. 1337 Facilities charges a fee for its services. In turn, it provides a turnkey solution, from concept to design, construction and operations. The vision is to retrofit recreational facilities on campus to become esports environments where students can play video games in… Continue Reading The ‘Elite’ of Campus Esports: Retrofits
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Esports: Nonstop Action
Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, has become an annual site for an ESL “Counter-Strike” tournament. (Helena Kristiansson) As in U.S., competitive gaming boom drives innovative design overseas The esports industry is exploding. Revenue is expected to exceed the billion-dollar mark for the first time in 2019, according to gaming market research company Newzoo. With that kind of money up for grabs, purpose-built arenas are being constructed at a breakneck pace and multipurpose venues are keeping up with the demands of hosting esports events by adding in technology and adapting to the needs of a new kind of venuegoer. Esports is hot in the U.S., where new esports venues opened in cities such as Las Vegas, Arlington, Texas, and Oakland and Burbank, Calif., last year and another was just announced for Philadelphia, but it’s a trend that’s producing new venues all over the world. “Esports are a global phenomenon,” said Brian Mirakian, director… Continue Reading Esports: Nonstop Action
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