Rendering from Populous
The renovation of the Arlington Convention Center into the 100,000 square-foot Esports Stadium Arlington is Shawmut’s foray into the esports world, and an exciting addition to the sports venues division’s portfolio. Working with longstanding partner Populous, Shawmut will help create the largest competition venue of its kind in North America.
Excerpt from Curbed
A new development in Arlington, the country’s largest purpose-built esports stadium, shows that Texas may be host to part of the next evolution of sporting arenas. The $10 million Esports Stadium Arlington, set to open this November in the city’s Entertainment District, will see the city’s convention center converted into a competition arena, esports gallery, and production studio.
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Mirakian [Brian Mirakian, principal and director at Populous Activate] calls the convention center in Arlington a “big black box,” a kind of blank canvas that was easy to redivide into a convention center to fit the specific needs of competitive video games. There was a large 30,000-square-foot ballroom that was subdividable, as well as meeting rooms and office spaces that could be converted into space for tech support and video production, especially important for broadcasting gameplay and competition to online channels such as Twitch and YouTube.
The complex, a joint project between the city and Esports Venues LLC, also had all the requirements for hosting and broadcasting esports events. The converted venue can seat up to 2,000 fans, fit massive screens, and support retail and concessions.