Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Blizzard Is Building Its Own Esports Arena
Blizzard Entertainment has been a big player in esports for years. It's hosted major StarCraft and World of WarCraft tournaments, and Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch have all received lots of tournament love since their inception. But after so many years of simply delving into the esports arena, the company has decided to build its own.
The Blizzard Arena Los Angeles (located in Burbank Studios) will be one of the first arenas in the United States to built specifically with esports events in mind. It will open on October 7, with the start of the Overwatch Contenders Season One playoffs. It will then host the Hearthstone Championship Tour's Summer Championship, the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship, and more tournaments involving Blizzard's own games.
Though the company isn't entirely closed off to hosting non-Blizzard events, the company says it has "built this facility primarily with Blizzard activities in mind," meaning there are no current plans to host outside tournaments, sports events, concerts, or birthday parties.
Our Take
This is one of the many steps that has to happen before Blizzard can fully take over the world, so I'm fine with it. It's also natural that at some point, a publisher would be frustrated enough with the stipulations and restrictions of a conventional arena (and have the enormous stocks of cash) to build their own. I'm not sure about the long-term viability of that, but hey, if anyone's got the money to throw around for it, it's Blizzard.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
