Fortress Sydney, the NSW expansion of Melbourne’s famously resilient multi-storey video games and entertainment complex, will formally open its doors in Sydney next month.
The venue, located on Level 2, 28 Broadway in Chippendale (it’s down the street from Central Station and just across the road from UTS) is set to open on April 8th. Doors open at 12pm, and the party will presumably kick on until about 6pm or whenever it is you poor Sydneysiders have to close your doors these days.
If you’ve not had the opportunity to visit Fortress’ original Melbourne location before, it’s essentially a combination bar and internet cafe taken to the logical extreme. A fantasy pub where you can eat, drink, and play an assortment of games in plush booths, a complete and modular esports arena upstairs with a secondary bar, streaming pods, LAN rooms, an arcade, and conference spaces … they kind of have it all. Then there are the weekly community programs — trivia on Mondays, board game social nights on Wednesdays, Dungeons & Dragons drop-in games on Sundays.
Basically, there’s a reason so many local games activations have been booking the venue — it’s designed to do it all and feel comfortable, welcoming and familiar to those of us that are perhaps a little more socially awkward.
“We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Fortress Sydney will officially open its doors on April 1st!” said CEO and co-founder Jon Satterley in a statement to Kotaku Australia. “This is a significant moment, especially as we reflect on the challenges we faced three years ago today, when the Melbourne venue had to close due to the first COVID lockdowns. Since 2020, we’ve made tremendous strides, and I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. Sydney, get ready for a phenomenal, world-class gamers paradise that embodies the spirit of games culture like never before!”
If you’re keen to be there for the venue’s opening, Fortress Sydney is taking pre-sale sign-ups at its official site. If you’re signed up, you’ll have first crack at tickets when they become available.
Opening a satellite venue is a testament to how popular the Melbourne venue has been, opening just six days before Covid-19 plunged Victoria into the first of many lockdowns, and battling to keep the lights on throughout. If it had folded before it had ever had a chance to properly open its doors, much less a chance to grow, few would have been surprised. It would have been a bummer, but their timing could not have been more unfortunate. The idea that it would be opening a second venue in another major city would not have been on the bingo card.
And yet, here we are. Go off, Team Fortress. Through sheer force of will (and a huge number of gaming brands getting around you), you’ve notched another big win.
Updated 4:38 pm AEDT 29/3/23: Fortress Sydney will now open April 8th, moving from its previous date of April 1st.
Leave a Reply