From April this year, the Hoyts cinema chain will be opening the first in a series of “esports arenas” in conjunction with the Australian arm of Gfinity Esports.
The first arena, which will house broadcast, production and spectator areas, will open in April at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter in Sydney’s Moore Park. Other venues will be opened later on around the country, supposedly “all within current Hoyts cinema locations”.
The first event to use the new venue will be the Australian Gfinity Elite Series, starting early next quarter. That series will showcase Rocket League, Street Fighter 5 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. That’ll pair with an online league, the Challenger Series, which began last month.
It’s not the first time Hoyts has tried to dabble with gaming. Cinemas have held viewing parties for esports finals in the past, like The International or the League of Legends World Championship Series, as well as sessions for E3 conferences and developer Q&A’s. It remains to be seen in how many states and territories Hoyts will expand the concept to, although the inclusion of more esports studios – particularly centrally located ones – will be a huge help to the local scene.
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