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Comcast To Spend $50 Million To Create the Nation's First Video Gaming Arena (philly.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Philly: Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Flyers, is to announce Monday morning that it will construct the first arena for gaming fans in the U.S. for the Comcast-owned Fusion, company officials say. The $50 million project is a testament to the surging popularity of esports, in which players compete in video games before large crowds. The company plans to break ground this summer on part of the 47-acre stadium complex site that Comcast Spectacor leases in South Philadelphia. The 3,500-seat arena will rise on a parking lot, next to Xfinity Live! and within walking distance of the Linc, Citizens Bank Park, and the Wells Fargo Center.
Nate Nanzer, commissioner of the 20-team Overwatch League, said there has never been a special-purpose esports arena "built anywhere. This is a huge step for esports. This is something we will see pop up all over the world." Besides housing Comcast's Fusion, one of the Overwatch League's teams, the venue is planned to be a major east coast hub for gaming events, company executives said. Comcast Spectacor expects to hold about 120 events a year in the new arena, with other gigs ranging from TED Talks to electronic dance music and K-pop concerts. K-pop is a music genre from South Korea that is popular with Fusion fans, Comcast Spectacor officials said. The Fusion Arena is looking to sell naming rights to the venue.
Nate Nanzer, commissioner of the 20-team Overwatch League, said there has never been a special-purpose esports arena "built anywhere. This is a huge step for esports. This is something we will see pop up all over the world." Besides housing Comcast's Fusion, one of the Overwatch League's teams, the venue is planned to be a major east coast hub for gaming events, company executives said. Comcast Spectacor expects to hold about 120 events a year in the new arena, with other gigs ranging from TED Talks to electronic dance music and K-pop concerts. K-pop is a music genre from South Korea that is popular with Fusion fans, Comcast Spectacor officials said. The Fusion Arena is looking to sell naming rights to the venue.
I wished I had watched you make this impressive virtual accomplishment from within the Comcast Spectacor Gaming Arena!
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Who'd go sit in an arena watching a bunch of sweaty dudes bump into each other.
There's been an MLG arena in Columbus Ohio for years.
https://www.tomshardware.com/n...
Shoot, they are building another $10M one as well as part of some $2B larger complex.
https://esportsobserver.com/pl...
We're already past peak esports, league, dota2, etc. are all on the decline and the large publishers have all stopped the "we esports" part of PR for every new title (the new fad is game as a service). Fortnite isn't an esport, the audience there is for individual streamers not the high level competitive aspect (the game doesn't even have skill based matchmaking).
Its also generally questionable about whether it makes financial sense to have a dedicated space, notice how many professional teams share buildings, and rent them out to concerts.
Comcast to Flush $50 Million Down a Toilet to Avoid Spending it on Infrastructure
the large publishers have all stopped the "we esports" part of PR for every new title
Which raises another question: How do Comcast and participating players plan to handle cases where a video game publisher withdraws copyright permission to stream matches of the publisher's game from Comcast?
The e-Sports competitors and crowd will look GREAT on TV in 2020. By 2040, 10% have died of heart attacks, and the remaining 90% are fat blobs who need to be wheeled around in a - self-driving - electric wheelchair. =)
Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Elon Musk put an AI chip in its head.
So, you seriously want me to get off my couch, where beer is like $1 and pizza is like $8, get in a car which most millenials don't even have, drive in congested roads for like a couple of hours (usually a 30 minute drive), pay $20 to $40 for parking, still have to walk 10 blocks in the rain, get barcoded and scanned while waiting in another 30 minute line, to then pay $20 easy for like 1 beer and a hotdog, all to be crowded into a box where I can't see anything, and you think I want to do that?
Seriously?
(this has been Seriously with Will and Amy)
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
I remember 10-15 years ago, I'd spend an hour or two to get my ping count down by 10 ms. With the PS3, nor the PS4, that's not an option. Given my experience that low ping count yields better K/D ratios, why would anyone want to play these streamed games? Seems clear to me, the folks with the most $$$ will have the better internet and thus will dominate.
The youth of today apparently.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
Playing a physical sport requires lots of effort. Mashing buttons while sitting in a chair does not. Can an NFL player be good at video games? Can a video gamer be good at the NFL?
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
I live in Philly a few blocks from the other gaming arena called Localhost. https://localhost.gg/
They are usually packed on the weekends. Think a LAN center that turns into a place where people can come and watch on a giant projector. They have already hosted many events.
Sadly the space is out of the way, has little parking, and can only comfortably hold about 100 people. I'm not surprised that Comcast wanted a bigger space.
It's a fair question. This is literally one sport where you can see the action just as well on a screen at home. Of course it's probably not as big as that Jumbo-Tron they have in the basement of Comcast's headquarters.
Unless there's some market for watching the antics of the actual players. I can get quite animated when I play video games.
Sitting in a chair?
LOL, I'm still thinking of quarter games. I don't play those sitting down.
yeah pretty sure there is one in the dallas ft worth area too. remember rolling my eyes at it pretty hard.