Sunderland becomes hub for thriving Esports industry

City becomes hub for booming Esports industry

BBC

A former car showroom has been transformed into a multimillion-pound Esports arena.

The 15,000 sq ft (1.4 sq m) venue in Sunderland, which has opened alongside the

The arena’s opening comes after the inaugural International Defence of Esport Games took place at the weekend, with military personnel from nine countries competing across four titles.

Visionary president of British Esports, Chester King, said the scale of the industry was often underestimated.

“Korea and

“We talk about it being the biggest niche that no one’s heard of, but I think if you add up all the different titles, you’ve got billions of people playing but also watching as well,” he said.

“There was a tournament five years ago where a British player came second, won a million dollars, bought the house that he was living in for his mother.

“Forty-million people entered the tournament that he came second in.”

The new arena, opposite the Stadium of Light, has a 200-seat theatre, a 17m-wide LED screen, performance rooms and retail and hospitality facilities.

It is designed to recreate tournament conditions, allowing players to train on stage in front of an audience, while supporting careers in broadcasting, production and coaching.

King said the city’s ambitions to develop its digital infrastructure helped persuade British Esports to establish the venue.

“When I met the council, and heard their ambition to make it the most digital city in the country – it just felt that it was the right time,” King said.

“I used to work at Wembley and I saw the growth around the

Sunderland Reform Councillor James Jackson said the venue added to the city’s sporting reputation.

“It’s brilliant for Sunderland. It’s added to the sporting heritage of the city – it’s a world-class facility,” he said.

“There aren’t many places in the world that can do this and it’s something we can really, really build on.”

British Esports said it hoped the arena would attract major competitions and visitors, boosting businesses across the city.

Stephen Gallagher, commercial vice president of the organisation, said the first event had demonstrated the potential economic impact.

“I think the impact on the city’s economy is going to be huge as we’ve already proven with the first event, we brought a lot of people to the city,” he said.

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