Esports Stadium Arlington

Esports Stadium Arlington
Map
Address1200 Ballpark Way
LocationArlington, Texas, U.S.
Coordinates32°45′18″N 97°04′55″W / 32.7551°N 97.0820°W / 32.7551; -97.0820
OwnerCity of Arlington
OperatorOpTic Gaming
Capacity2,500 (seated)
Construction
OpenedNovember 26, 2018 (2018-11-26)
Construction cost$10 million
ArchitectPopulous
BuilderHenderson Engineers
Project managerGary Berlin
General contractorTom Hoffman
Tenants
Dallas Fuel (2017–2023)
OpTic Texas (2019–present)
Website
esportsstadium.gg

Esports Stadium Arlington (ESA) is a North American esports facility and theater located in Arlington, Texas. The 100,000 sqft venue originally was the largest dedicated esports facility in North America and holds 2,500 spectators.

Description

Esports Stadium Arlington measures 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of total space and has the capacity to hold 2,500 seated spectators.[1]

History

In March 2018, the city of Arlington announced plans to develop the largest esports stadium in the United States that was scheduled to open later that year.[2] The project was collaboration between the city, Esports Venues LLC, which is owned by Texas Rangers co-owner Neil Leibman, Populous, who designed the stadium, and NGAGE Esports.[3][4]

The venue officially opened on November 26, 2018.[5]

In December 2020, all but two of Esports Stadium Arlington employees were laid off. President Jonathon Oudthone left the company for undisclosed reasons,[6] with Luke Bauer, chairman of the Texas Rangers ownership committee, becoming the new president of the venue.[7]

In January 2022, esports and gaming company Envy Gaming, now OpTic Gaming, acquired the operating contract for Esports Stadium Arlington from Esports Venues LLC.[8]

Events

The venue's first hosted event was FACEIT's Esports Championship Series Season Six Finals, a global competition for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in November 2018.[5] After shutting down operations due in February 2020 to due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ESA hosted its first live event since the pandemic began — a match between the Dallas Fuel and Houston Outlaws of the Overwatch League in July 2021.[9]

Since the OpTic Gaming merger, the stadium has hosted many OpTic events such as Call of Duty League majors, Halo Championship Series majors, and Off-Season events.[10] Other notable events include: the Esports Awards in 2019 and 2021,[11] [12] PGL Dota 2 Major in 2022, the first in North America since 2016, and Smite World Championships in 2023 and 2024.[13] [14]

On May 16, 2024, the venue became a theater, as its first non-video gaming events were announced, as All Elite Wrestling held a residency at the venue, billed as the Path to All In summer series. The summer series consisted of five consecutive weeks of its Saturday night television show Collision, a live Battle of the Belts special, a Rampage taping, as well as Ring of Honor's Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view and tapings for its weekly TV show.[15]

The venue was initially scheduled to be the host of the Sonic the Hedgehog fan convention, Sonic Expo 2024, which would've featured Johnny Gioeli of Crush 40. However, the convention was moved to the Meqsuite Convention Center and Arena.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Welcome to the Esports Stadium Arlington". Arlington.org. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Igel, Lee (March 14, 2018). "Arlington, Texas, Announces Plans To Build Largest Esports Stadium In U.S." Forbes. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  3. ^ Dachman, Jason (January 29, 2019). "Inside Esports Stadium Arlington, North America's Largest — and Most Flexible — Esports Venue". Sports Video Group. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Fragen, Jordan (March 14, 2018). "Infinite Esports & Entertainment and Arlington, TX, Partner to Build Esports Stadium". The Esports Observer. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Gempel, Natalie (November 21, 2019). "The Country's Largest Esports Stadium Opens in Arlington This Weekend". D Magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  6. ^ Hitt, Kevin (December 8, 2020). "Sources: Major Layoffs Hit Esports Stadium Arlington". The Esports Observer. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  7. ^ Hitt, Kevin (December 9, 2020). "Esports Stadium Arlington's New President Talks About Path Forward and Public Comments from Current and Former Employees". The Esports Observer. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  8. ^ Swanger, Ben (January 13, 2022). "Dallas-based Envy Gaming Acquires Esports Stadium in Arlington". D Magazine. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Zheng, Lili (July 9, 2021). "Arlington Stadium Hosts First Live Esports Competition Since Pandemic Began". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  10. ^ "The Off-Season 2". start.gg. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Shaw, DJ (November 17, 2019). "Esports Stadium Arlington hosts first Esports Awards show outside of London". The Shorthorn. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Cruz, Alex (November 20, 2021). "Pro gamers put away the controllers and mice in favor of suits at the Esports Awards in North Texas". WFAA. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "PGL DOTA 2 MAJOR ARLINGTON 2022 will take place between August 4–14". PGL. March 17, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "Smite World Championship At Esports Stadium Arlington". SmiteGame.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Wedding, Paul (May 16, 2024). "All Elite Wrestling to hold six shows in Arlington this summer". WFAA. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Sonic Expo Kickstarter is now LIVE! Join us on November 9th and 10th for an unforgettable event to celebrate the blue blur! See you all soon!". x.com/SonicExpo. Retrieved July 20, 2024.