Britain is getting its first eSports arena next year
Instead of tuning into Twitch online, soon Brits will have a physical venue to watch their favourite eSports competitors duke it out. Gfinity, a league organiser for multiplayer games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Starcraft II, says it's gearing up to launch the UK's first permanent eSports arena in London next year. The new locale will accommodate up to 500 spectators, although the company says it hasn't decided whether to build a new facility or retrofit an existing one just yet. Once it's completed, Gfinity says it'll play host to 30 tournaments between March and September next year, covering competitive games such as Halo and Call of Duty before its end of season "Gfinity Championship Final."
Earlier this summer, Gfinity held a multi-competition event called G3 at London's Copper Box Arena (originally used for the 2012 Olympics), which attracted over 4,000 fans and 144 competitors. There are already a number of prestigious eSports tournaments around the world, such as Evo and The International, but permanent venues are pretty rare. Although MLG has shown interest with dedicated arenas scheduled for China and the US, it's a largely untested model. Renting space for an annual eSports tournament is one thing, but getting people to come to a dedicated venue all year round is quite another.
[Image Credit: Gfinity]
