a US -based professional Overwatch team from
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 65,000ft2 (6,038m2),
3,500-capacity arena is due to open in 2021 and is
projected to cost upwards of US$50m.
“Our learning from the Arlington project allowed
us to take things further with the Fusion Arena,”
explains Courtney. “We know that fans want to
experience the live action, but they also want to explore
and engage with more. This project takes a more
precinct-style approach, which will allow for the big
publishers such as Riot and Activision to have specific
areas where they can interact with fans. There will also
be hotel offerings when those events run over multiple
days, and even these will be geared towards the gaming
community, with breakout zones and areas for gamers
to enjoy their favorite titles,” he adds.
Betting on the future
Although the esports industry is showing enormous
growth in popularity and spectator numbers at live
events, it is still a market very much in its infancy.
As a result, it is one that is very difficult to predict
and plan to build for, as the popularity of individual
gaming titles change over the years. This wouldn’t
normally be an issue with traditional sports stadium
builders, however as HOK senior associate Nuno
Guerreiro explains, the audiences for each title vary
wildly in terms of their demands and requirements
for a stadium facility.
“There is so much diversity among the individual
fan bases of these different games. As a rough example,
fans of the First Person Shooter genre will typically
want a more traditional sporting experience, where
the high octane action is played on screen with their
gaming heroes up on stage.
“Alternatively, there are other genres that demand
a more intimate setting, with smaller breakout zones
for discussion and socializing. Then, the arena itself
has to be nimble enough to be divisible, so you can host
events of different sizes, as attendance differs massively
between titles and competitions,” he explains.
Guerreiro also makes the salient point that many
venue projects require at least four to five years from
the first inception to completion. “It’s almost
impossible to do it in less time, regardless where you
do it around the world,” he says.
ESPORTS
(Above) Populous has designed
a gaming house of the future
that incorporates competition
zones and breakout areas
Pic: Populous
“The arena has to be nimble enough to be divisible,
so you can host events of different sizes, as attendance
differs massively between titles and competitions”
Nuno Guerreiro, senior associate, HOK
www.stadia-magazine.com September 2019 21
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