Las Vegas may be better known for its traditional gambling entertainments such as blackjack, roulette and slots games, but it looks Sin City is ready to change the times with the arrival of the city’s first dedicated esports arena.
The Esports Arena Las Vegas is a specially built 30,000-square foot gaming space at the Luxor Las Vegas casino resort, and it promises to make Las Vegas an esports destination like no other.
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The Luxor Esports Arena was unveiled at a glittering ceremony on 22 March 2018, and it is the latest venture by Allied Esports in their quest to make esports a fixed part of Las Vegas’ gaming culture.
The Esports Arena Las Vegas is a multifunctional space that offers a range of gaming possibilities for esports fans as well as plenty of fun options for retro gamers. The Main Hall features a huge competition stage that will host all of the top esports tournaments that will also be shown on the two-storey video wall.
Up to 1,500 fans can look forward to watching the action between the planet’s best esports teams from the comfort of the state-of-the-art telescopic seating, whilst the world-class production facility will ensure Las Vegas’ esports venture attracts the biggest names in the business.
There will also be an interactive area called The Dome that will include many older retro gaming titles as well as a 360-degree video board. In addition to this, the front lobby will be packed with gaming stations, virtual reality entertainments, and that all-important streaming booth.
Those visiting the arena to watch the gaming action can enter the Esports Arena free of charge. But if you’re looking to enjoy playing the vast array of gaming options, then you might want to pick up one of the all-day gaming passes that will cost just $25 per person.
And with the celebrity chef José Andrés on hand to conjure up a daily selection of mouth-watering gaming-inspired foods, it seems that the Luxor esports arena is going to help Sin City become a new esports hotspot.
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Allied Esports put on a solid weekend of gaming entertainment to showcase the Luxor Esports Arena. Gaming fans and journalists were treated to spectacular showdowns between legendary esports teams such as SonicFox, GO1, Rogue and Ghost Gaming in classic esports like Rocket League and SMITE. In addition to this, the Esports Arena put on special appearances by iconic Twitch streamers such as Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins to add an extra level of authenticity to the gaming action.
Las Vegas’ esports fans were also treated to a two-day Super Smash Bros gaming extravaganza where the game’s top stars competed for the $25,000 prize pool. What made this all the more notable was the fact that this competition was the first stop in the Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas tournament that travels all over the world before returning to Sin City in December.
Of course, there’s much more to esports competitions than the gaming, and so the Esports Arena was treated to expert commentary and analysis from top casters and reporters. And with a three-band bill of musical stars like Pegboard Nerds, it capped off the first of many glittering events that look to kickstart Las Vegas’ esports ambitions.
There was little doubt that the unveiling of the Esports Arena marked an exciting new chapter in the Las Vegas esports scene. Whilst there is little chance of games like Counter Strike Global Offensive and League of Legends edging out traditional gambling entertainments like blackjack and roulette anytime soon, the new arena shows that there is plenty of money being invested in esports.
Allied Esports has already found great success in setting up esports arenas in US cities like Oakland and Los Angeles, as well as Beijing and Shenzen in China. But as the Las Vegas gaming arena is twice the size of anything that the company has previously attempted, it shows just how ambitious Allied Esports are about making Sin City a new capital of esports gaming culture.
Whilst walking through a traditional casino to enter the main esports arena is a little surreal, it makes perfect sense as Las Vegas seeks to diversify its entertainments to a younger generation of gamers.
Las Vegas’ revenues from traditional casino games has dipped in recent years, and with esports becoming more of a mainstream phenomenon it’s clear that the race is on to cater to this growing market. So whilst countries like Korea and Sweden have managed to get a headstart in the esports phenomenon, it seems that Las Vegas could be America’s best bet for being a world beater in competitive gaming entertainment.
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