Arlington, Texas has announced plans for a 100,000 square foot esports stadium in its downtown entertainment district. The stadium will be the largest esports venue in North America by a wide margin.
“I know the gaming community across the globe is going to fall in love with this stadium and with Arlington,” Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams said at a press conference about the venture at the Arlington Convention Center, which will be the site of the eventual stadium. “We’re ready for the biggest tournaments in the esports industry to call Arlington home.”
The lease is for ten years with another ten-year renewal option. The length of the lease shows a confidence in esports not previously seen — prior investments have been speculative and shorter-term.
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The city and Esports Venues, LLC will be investing $10 million into renovating the stadium. The architecture and design will be handled by sports and entertainment firm Populous who designed the T-Mobile Stadium in Las Vegas and the Amway Center in Orlando, among other projects.
SportTechie Takeaway:
The big draw for the city of Arlington is the hosting of international events and the tourism that comes with them. Take for example the Intel Extreme Masters that is held in Katowice, Poland. One of the largest esports events in the world, IEM Katowice brings over 100,000 people to a town previously known for coal mining.
Massive stadiums are an Arlington staple. AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, sits just a mile from the proposed esports site. At three million square feet and room for 105,000 guests, AT&T Stadium is among the largest in the NFL. Owing at least in part to its size, AT&T Stadium offers autonomous shuttles to and from its parking lot. Arlington is also home to Globe Life Park where the Texas Rangers play which has a capacity of nearly 50,000.
Esports venues are popping up more regularly across the globe. In California, Team Liquid and Alienware recently announced a new 8,000 square foot training facility. In addition to Team Liquid, there is the Sandbox Esports Training Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and the facility inside the Sacramento Kings Golden One Center. Internationally, Cyberport, a Hong Kong based tech incubator, announced investments in multiple esports venues.