But conversions and remodeling pale in comparison with the planned Fusion Arena in Philadelphia, which will be the first space built specifically for e-sports. The 3,500-seat, $50 million project will be the home for the Philadelphia Fusion, a two-year-old team that competes in the Overwatch League, a franchise in which players from all over the world battle in a futuristic first-person shooter. Groundbreaking for the arena, which is being developed by the Cordish Companies, is expected this summer for a planned opening in 2021. Not only will the arena project help e-sports cement its status in the mainstream, experts say, it’s also expected to unleash a wave of similar projects. “This is a real sport.”The design of the Fusion Arena breaks with that of a typical stadium.

Source: New York Times May 28, 2019 23:03 UTC