The eSports scene continues to grow. Major League Gaming announced plans this week to build the world's first "MLG Arena," a 15,000-seat stadium on Hengqin Island, which is off the coast of popular gambling hot-spot Macau.
MLG announced the news Thursday, in partnership with Lai Fung Holdings Limited and eSun Holdings Limited. The new MLG Arena, located in what the company is calling the "V-Zone," is planned as the centerpiece of an $18 billion "Creative Culture City" init iative for the Hengqin Island.
In addition to operating as the site of the first-ever MLG Arena, the V-Zone is going to include an expo area for game developers to feature new and upcoming games, as well as gaming-themed restaurants and retail shops. The MLG Arena is scheduled to open in 2017, though no images of the stadium have been released.
MLG says Hengqin is an ideal location for its first stadium because it's located just five minutes from Macau, 30 minutes from Hong Kong, and within 100km of five international and domestic airports. In addition, the Chinese gaming market is massive. The number of gamers in the country has now surpassed the total number of American citizens, according to data from research firm EEDAR.
MLG's expansion to China represents the eSports company's second major international news this year, following the launch of MLG Brasil in February. Additional details about the MLG Arena in Hengqin, the V-Zone itself, and further international expansion will be announced in the months ahead, MLG said.
The League of Legends World Championship Finals are held at Los Angeles' massive Staples Center, while MLG typically holds its events at various convention centers. There's no word yet if MLG or any other eSports company plans to open a video game-specific arena in the US.
| Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch |
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