Hardcore gamers will soon have another reason to visit Las Vegas. On Tuesday, Allied Esports, Esports Arena and Luxor-owner MGM Resorts International announced intentions to transform an existing 30,000-square-foot nightclub into a multi-level esports arena.
Allied Esports, which already operates venues in Santa Ana, California, and Beijing, is looking to expand into other markets including Oakland, California, and Shenzhen, China. As ESPN notes, the company also operates a "mobile" gaming truck in Europe that travels to various gaming conferences throughout the year.
Allied Esports CEO Jud Hannigan said they have very ambitious expansion plans over the next two years and when they realized that a location at Luxor was possible, they jumped at the opportunity to develop a flagship.
Luxor general manager Niklas Rytterstrom said they've closely watched the growth and excitement around esports for some time and think the venue is going to be a great additional amenity for their customers.
The facility, scheduled to open in early 2018, won't be the only game in town (no pun intended) as event organizer Millennial Esports opened a similar venue in downtown Las Vegas a few months back. That facility, housed in the Neonopolis entertainment complex in downtown Vegas, is roughly half the size of the Luxor arena and has around 200 seats.