Toronto New eSports Stadium
It is no secret that eSports are popular all over the world and continue to get bigger. Now you might say that eSports aren’t considered real sports such as football and baseball, but as we speak, eSports continue to transform and become similar to more commonly known sports by the day. Recently it has been announced that Toronto is planning on building a new stadium mainly for eSports competitions, with the ability to host plenty of different events.
“It has always been our intention to develop a venue and hosting strategy and to build a facility that could not only serve as an iconic home for our two franchises but ultimately emerge as a global hub for major international eSport events. We are already in active discussions to attract some of the biggest eSport events in the world. This venue will redefine Toronto’s event hosting opportunities in every way,” said Chris Overholt, President, and CEO of OverActice.
Who’s Behind These Plans?
The company behind the idea is OverActive media, an eSports and entertainment organization that owns multiple eSport franchises and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. OverActive media owns franchises in both North American and Europe. In North America, OverActive media owns Overwatch Leagues Toronto Defiant and Call of Duty Leagues Toronto Ultra. In Europe, OverActive media runs the Mad Lions, a Spain-based League of Legends European Championship team that also participates in the Counter-Strike Global Offensive.
“Today is another important step in the evolution of OverActive Media. We are building a world-leading, 21st-century sports media and entertainment company, and this best-in-class performance venue will be the chosen home for a new generation of fans that think differently about their entertainment choices and experiences,” said Overholt.
The stadium is expected to be completed by 2025 and is expected to cost $500 million.
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Multi-Purpose Stadium
A stadium with a capacity of 7,000 might not be able to hold mega-events like the Super Bowl or NBA finals, but this stadium can host some epic events. OverActive media hopes for the stadium to become a major Toronto attraction offering a multi-purpose convention center that can host not only the Toronto Defiant and Toronto Ultra eSports teams but concerts and other events. Not only will this be a place for fans to gather to watch sports, but it is also going to have a fully functioning hotel attached to it.
Toronto New eSports Stadium: The Designer
This new stadium’s plans are unbelievable as the 7,000 capacity stadium resembles something similar to the new futuristic NFL stadiums that are being built. If this stadium can come out just half of how the pre-design photos appear, it will be nothing short of spectacular and will be a destination for eSports fans to check out. The company building this stadium is Populous Architecture company.
The company, based out of Kansas City, Missouri, is familiar with building major stadiums. They have designed multiple MLB stadiums, including Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, while also Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, where Johnny Manziel used to play, and overseas the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With experience building stadiums like those, Populous should be able to create something extraordinary in Toronto.
“The design of the theatre was neither conceived as a sports arena nor an opera house, rather, a new typology that straddles the two, a state-of-the-art performance venue. The theatre architecture creates a merger of the old and the new,” said Jonathan Mallie, Senior Principal and lead designer for Populous.
We might be a few years away from actually being able to enter the doors for an event, but eSports fans and competitors have to be extremely excited. Twitch has become an awesome online streaming platform for eSports, but physically being able to attend the competitions with thousands of fans is a much better experience.
The Toronto new eSports Stadium will truly be a remarkable infrastructure that will set the tone for the up and coming sport.
