The largest Esports stadium in North America was inaugurated in Arlington to a roaring welcome from a sold-out crowd.
Among the inaugural-day crowd were professional gamers, coaches, gaming PCs and other wide-eyed spectators.
“Oh man, it’s majestic. It might as well be the ninth wonder of the world when you come to an event like this,” said fan Chris Lane.
The opening event in the new facility was the semifinals of esports championship series of the first-person shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The league boasts of overall 20 teams from North America and Europe. The event not just attracted crowds to the stadium, but made tens of thousands of fans gluing to its live stream over the internet.
“I’m super pumped. I’m just glad we’ve opened the doors. We’re getting people funneled in,” said Jonathon Oudthone, founder and president of NGAGE. Oudthone helped set up the 10-year lease with Arlington for the stadium.
“My dream is to pack this house out every weekend, to expand and grow this venue to a 20 to 60,000 seating venue one day, so we can compete with the NFLs, the MLBs of the world,” said Oudthone.
By Niji Narayan
Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.