Fusion Arena: New Esports Arena Coming to Philadelphia Sports Complex - Essay Sample

Introduction

The report discusses Fusion Arena. The sports arena is intended to be constructed in Philadelphia. It is an Esports arena that will lie in the Philadelphia Sports Complex. It is set to showcase more games as well as traditional sports for the people of Philadelphia. The Populous Architectural Company is expected to handle the construction of the Arena. Fusion Arena is owned and managed by The Comcast and Cordish companies. It shall cost an estimated amount of $50 million. It is set to be constructed this coming summer and shall be positioned adjacent to Xfinity Live.

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Location

The Esports arena is planned to be arrayed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It shall be adjacent to Xfinity live and Citizens Bank Park. It shall as well be on the southern side of South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Other buildings in the surrounding include Lincoln Financial Field And Wells Fargo Center.

Planning

Plans to create this sports arena began in December 2018 during the Overwatch League season. It was thought wise to create a larger venue to host a multitude of fans that spectate OWL games. This was a result of the announcement made by Nate Nanzer, the OWL commissioner. His intent was to see that all participating teams would have home venues by 2020 (Finch, 2020). In 2019, Comcast Spectator hinted about its intentions to construct Fusion Arena for the people of Western Philadelphia. The plan would ensure that they do not need to travel to states like California to hold their OWL matches. The construction would be an addition to the Transformation project for Wells Fargo by Comcast Spectator that would cost $250 million. On 25th September 2019, Comcast Spectator and Fusion players participated in a ground-breaking ceremony for the Arena. It happened ahead of the 2019 Overwatch League Grand Finals. Participants in this project hope to see it fully accomplished by 2020.

Features

The sports arena is expected to cover a maximum of 65,000 square feet. Such coverage will allow the arena to host a maximum of 3,500 seats. It is expected to host international gaming events as well as local ones within South Philadelphia. The seats shall have USB cable ports to allow the spectators to charge their phones or laptops and stay entertained. It shall as well be convenient for alcoholics who will have access to drinks of all sorts. There shall also be refreshments for everyone. All these will be made possible by the presence of two bars on the balcony side. Additionally, there shall be a training center and offices for the management. Loge boxes shall be created to allow spectators to have rest when tired yet still interested in watching their favorite sports. The three shall cover a maximum of 10, 000 square feet. Space will be used for behind-the-scenes acts, as a central nervous system, as a state-of-the-art broadcasting center and shall be equipped with training facilities for all sports. The arena shall be built on a 47 acres piece of land.

Visitors in the Fusion Arena shall have the privilege to use a 6,000 square feet lobby that shall be full of scenery. Moreover, media features and images will be displayed in the lobby area covering 2,000 square feet. The display is expected to be overhead on the lobby diode such that all visitors have an epic view. At the center of the arena, there shall be a theatre-related space for such events. The theatre space will cover a maximum of 25,000 square feet (Moorhead, 2020). Space will be bordered with a bird's eye giving beautiful scenery. Each side of the square area shall have a social area that allows people to interact amidst themselves. The backstage shall have dynamic views that keep visitors entertained. Moreover, there shall be exclusive suites of the VIP class that will be used by qualified persons for rest or leisure.

Ownership and Management

The Fusion Arena is an idea of Spectator Gaming led by the Chief Executive Officer, Joe Marsh. The idea was born out of the combined brains of Cordish, Comcast, and Spectator gaming. Joe Marsh says that it was initially intended to be constructed in the University City or Fishtown. However, after much consultation with the involved parties, it was agreed that Xfinity would serve as the best venue. Initially, Xfinity attracts approximately 1,000 seats. Therefore, the idea of constructing a much bigger venue in the heart if only Philadelphia sounded bright. It was then decided that the arena would be constructed to host a maximum of 3,500 seats. As a starter, they had the Overwatch finals happen in Philadelphia, which took place at the Wells Fargo grounds. The event attracted over 400,000 fans, thus spicing the dream of the three intellects. David Scott, the chairman of Comcast, views the Fusion space as young ad digital giving opportunities for the future progress of sports in Philadelphia (Finch, 2020). Brian Mirakian is a senior principal of Populous the architect company that shall construct the arena.

Purpose

The sole purpose of the construction of this venue is sports. The idea was born after the announcement by OWL's Nate to have the games hold locally for all sates in America. Initially, all OWL players had to travel to selected states like California to participate in the league. Such arrangements seemed to be cumbersome, resourceful, and time-consuming. As a result, the idea of having OWL games in home states seemed wise. It meant that all the teams would only get to merge during the Grand finals, thus making the process easier. The arena is also intended to entertain more fans through more gaming activities. However, other than E-sports, it is expected to create an avenue for fans and players to showcase more of their skills. Additionally, it is expected to boost the view of the Philadelphia locals on traditional sports. In the end, the people of Philadelphia are to be enlightened about the origin of their sporting activities, embrace and appreciate their originality. The developers have also hinted that the venue will give room for entertainment activities like concerts. Additionally, theatre and filming space will be availed for parties interested in such.

Impact on Revenue

The construction process of an E-sports arena is not as easy as it seems. The Philadelphia Fusion Arena creates an avenue for professional video-gaming. The OWL games, for instance, involve 20 teams with nine players each. Video games attract more than 250 million fans around the globe. Even though a large percentage of these fans watch these games from the comfort of their home areas, hosting professional competitions marks a source of revenue for any state. Additionally, there are some fans who prefer to live viewing to watch the games from home. The industry is said to accumulate $1.1 billion each year following the purchase of video games by fans (Moorhead, 2020). Such a huge amount contributes to the annual global revenue. It is expected that the industry shall grow more social with the construction of the Fusion Arena.

Social Impact

Whenever fans purchase video games to watch or play from the comfort of their homes, it is less social and creates boredom. It is usually the case, especially when one is an introvert or rather lacks a companion. However, the construction of the Fusion arena shall see a great impact on the nature of video games. The venue shall have enough social space for fans to interact. This means that video games will become more fun and participative, unlike before. An approximated multitude of 3,500 fans is expected to occupy the space created for the arena (Troupe, 2020). Such a huge amount of people will create room for cultural interaction, exchange, and socializing. It will also help awaken the traditional games of the Philadelphians that have to sink for a long time. It shall also impact positively on spectators as a way of relieving tension and stress from the fans. Fans with such talent may as well realize their abilities by watching these games, especially during live competitions. This may interest them and push them to explore their skills. The Arena comes to the United States at a time when only small video game venues exist. For instance, there is an E-sports Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and another one in Santa Ana, California. The construction of Fusion will be historic as the largest E-sports venue in the U.S.

Process

The arena shall be constructed by Comcast Spectator and The Cordish Companies. It shall be designed by Populous Architects known for their works at Yankee Stadium and Nationals Parks. It will be brand new in the Western hemisphere, thus requiring no renovations for a long time. The venue shall amplify E-sports in terms of sound, lighting, and media views present in the design.

First, according to Brian Mirakian, the screen time for the video games shall require total concentration from the viewers (Shabir, 2017). They will need to focus on Jumborton playing in the second fiddle position. There are numerous screens not far from the seating area, giving viewers any easy view. The lobby will be designed to have an overhead screen covering 2,000 squares ensuring fans do not miss a single act. The capacity is quite small as compared to NBA venues that have 16,000 seats for their fans. The design is, however, not as circular as most sports create their venues. Fusion intends to have a theatre-style sitting arrangement for fans. The remaining space is left for other non-sporting events like concerts and conferences.

Second, a stealth mode is created to prevent any spoilers. For instance, if games are played on stage with the screens showing a player's hands, fans would easily ruin the entire game by shouting the hint to the players. Nonetheless, Fusion purposes to have sound-proof booths that will prevent players from hearing anything from the fans.

Third, Fusion plans to have extra high technology enabling high-speed Wi-Fi and internet connection. This will ensure continuous display of the games rather than interrupted views. Lastly, there is freedom of roaming for all participating fans. Space allows for interaction and free movement along with the lobby. Notably, roaming fans will still have access to the screens displayed on the lobby's overhead.

Reflection

Conclusively, the choice for this project was catalyzed by the interesting innovations that keep emerging each day. Evolving from the usual sporting activities like basketball and football to video games is a significant improvement to the sports world (Shabir, 2017). Other than entertainment, E-sports contribute to the global revenue of states that have embraced them. The construction process set for this project shall change the future of E-sports. In an environment where video games are highly appreciated by fans, creating a larger venue for the same is a bright idea. It shall also create an avenue to improve traditional sports for the people of Philadelphia. Given an opportunity to meet Brian Marakian, it would make sense to inquire about the future of Fusion once it is fully constructed, For instance, what maintenance costs shall be incurred in the running of the facility. Additionally, it would be interesting to know the amount of revenue to be collected on a daily basis.

References

Finch, D. J. (2020). Implications and impacts of eSports on business and society: Emerging Research and opportunities

Troupe, T. K. (2020). First-person action esports: The competitive gaming world of Overwatch, Counter-strike, and more!.

Rodriguez, H., Midnite, ., & Scump. (2016). Optic gaming. New York: Dey Street Books.

Moorhead, A. (2020). YOUNG GUNS: Obsession, overwatch, and the future of gaming. S.l.: Hachette Books.

Shabir, N. (2017). Esports: The complete guide 17/18: a guide for gamers, teams, organizations and other entities in or looking to get into spac...