Egaming is the fastest-growing spectator sport, attracting thousands of fans around the world. Teams are as avidly followed as any of those in the traditional fan favorites like football and baseball. What’s more, traditional sports owners from Michael Jordan to Mark Cuban have also invested in esports teams.
Where there are sports, there are real estate opportunities, and esports is no different. In esports, as with other professional sports, a lot of the real estate innovations revolve around arenas and hotels, but esports adds one more component. Because anyone can play esports, training and play facilities are popping up around the country. Even WeWork is allegedly looking into investing in egaming.
Recently, iconic video game brand Atari SA (OTCMKTS: PONGF) licensed its name to a series of hotels, starting with one in Phoenix, Arizona, being built by True North Studio and GSD Group. Other developers, including one in Japan, are planning esports-dedicated hotels. But egamers don’t have to wait for these new hotels to be built. The Downtown Grand in Las Vegas is just one of the existing hotels that already caters to egamers who are looking to host their own tournaments, enjoy casual play, or stream on Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) Twitch or other services.
As esports grow in popularity, look for more hotels to offer gaming PCs and esports facilities. Some hotels are also starting to capitalize on the growing business around esports tournaments. While so far esports hasn’t become popular as an amenity in apartment complexes, as developers seek to attract younger tenants, this may become a potential feature in the future. See more here.
