UK's first-of-its-kind eGaming attraction to open in seaside city – with huge 200-seat arena and live shows
READY PLAYER UK's first-of-its-kind eGaming attraction to open in seaside city – with huge 200-seat arena and live shows
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND e-gaming arena has been given the green light for the UK.
British Esports has announced that it will open its flagship Gaming and Esports Arena in Sunderland next year.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
A first-of-its-kind e-gaming arena has been given the green light for the UK
Credit: British Esports
Stretching across 15,000-square-feet, the arena will host live events, competitions and have immersive audience experiences for egamers and egaming fans.
Short for 'electronic sports', esports involves people competing against each other through video gaming - either in a team or as an individual.
The new venue will include a 200-seat theatre for visitors, where there will be a 17-metre-wide screen to watch the action.
Spectators and gamers will also be able to explore different shops.
In addition to all this, there will be a number of performance rooms and an outdoor space for events in an attempt to make the arena one of the best esports destinations in the world.
Athletes will be able to train at the venue like they are in an actual competition, as well as learn about esports.
This includes professional esports players, who can also use the new arena to practice for upcoming events like the Esports World Cup and the Olympic Esports Games.
Students and future esports players can also develop their skills at the arena.
The venue won't just be for the players, but will also have spaces for all those involved in the sport including broadcasting studios.
Away from esports events, the arena will be used for private events, live music and community events too.
The state-of-the-art venue will be located next to the Stadium of Light - the home of Premier League football team AFC Sunderland.
Inside £49m 'Stadium of the Year' which saw world record set and is more popular than the Bernabeu
It will also be alongside the National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) which opened back in 2023.
At the NEPC - which is also the HQ for the British Esports Federation - visitors can partake in esports bootcamp training and esports education.
Work will begin on the venue in September and is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026.
The UK is home to a number of other esports venues including the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London.
Big sporting events like Formula E at the ExCeL in London also host egaming activities, where visitors can play on race car simulators like they themselves are in the race.
3
British Esports has announced that it's flagship Gaming and Esports Arena will be located in Sunderland
Credit: British Esports
Andy Payne OBE, chair of British Esports, said: "This is our St George's Park for esports, a national home with world-class performance spaces that will help train the next generation of esports talent and help to grow the region to be a key leader in esports in the UK.
"We have designed our facility so that on any given day we could be a training and performance hub, running a global esports tournament, hosting a publisher game launch or hired out as a music venue.
Councillor Michael Mordey, leader of Sunderland City Council also said they were "thrilled" with the news, which was part of a huge regeneration of Sunderland.
He added: "Billions of pounds of investment will see our city transformed in the coming years, with thousands of new homes, Grade A offices, a new Nissan electric vehicle hub and a plethora of new leisure developments rising from the ground, and the Gaming and Esports Arena is a fantastic addition to this mix.
"It is a game-changing development which will cement Sunderland's reputation as the home of esports in the UK, while providing a major boost to the regional economy, creating high skilled jobs for local people and attracting visitors from across the globe to our transforming city."
A new immersive attraction is also set to open in the UK with indoor racing track and 'top secret' games.
Plus, the 'world's greatest' music attraction hoping to open in the UK – with plans for massive live shows.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
7 days ago
- The Guardian
Magnus Carlsen shows class and wins $250,000 at frantic Esports World Cup
Magnus Carlsen was in imperious form at last week's Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a virtuoso performance both on and off the board. On it, the world No 1 won the group stage, the quarter- and semi-finals, and the final, all in dominant style while seeing off the world No 2, Hikaru Nakamura, and one of the leading young contenders, Alireza Firouzja. Offboard, Carlsen exuded enthusiasm for the event, and delivered upbeat and articulate responses to interviewers. The limit of 10 minutes per player per game, without the usual per move increment, was designed for tight TV schedules, and also led to frantic time scrambles and games decided by fractions of a second. A new chess phrase was coined, 'dirty flagging', to describe playing to win on the clock in a totally lost or drawn position before the opponent with less time can force checkmate. Carlsen himself declined his first two opportunities to use this technique, but accepted a third when the match situation became critical. In general, the time control favoured Carlsen, Nakamura and Firouzja, who between them have played tens of thousands of blitz and bullet (all the moves in one minute) games on and Carlsen made a seemingly conscious effort to present chess in the best possible light. The overall event may have been sportswashing, but the enormous queues to watch every day and the obvious enjoyment of the audiences showed the potential for a new market. The tournament was slickly organised, with fast-moving interviews, game analyses, reviews and tactical highlights all following in quick succession. The online audience on for the final exceeded 30,000 viewers, more than five times the usual number for a grandmaster tournament. There was over-hype, but not enough to jar. The lead commentator, England's David Howell, enhanced his reputation as he continually provided calm and objective analysis. Gradually, Howell is becoming the first choice commentator for major chess events. In short, all the signs were that the Esports World Cup can become a permanent and welcome addition to the annual chess calendar. There is a new candidate to become the next super-talent after Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Carlsen. At barely 14, Turkey's Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus has broken numerous age records. He is the youngest ever to achieve a 2600 rating, a record previously held by Judit Polgar, and the second youngest after Polgar to reach Fide's world top 100. Last week Erdogmus defeated the eight-time Russian champion Peter Svidler by 4-2 in a classical match, the highlight being a 22-move win against his opponent's favourite Grunfeld Defence with a double rook sacrifice, one rook in the game and the other in the notes. Erdogmus now has a fleeting opportunity to beat Fischer's achievement of qualifying for the world title candidates at age 15. The Turkish youngster will have two chances to do it, at the Fide World Cup and Grand Swiss later this year. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion The nine-round British championship at Liverpool has its final round on Sunday morning. After five rounds, the eight-time title winner Michael Adams, 53, led with 4.5/5 by half a point from a group of eight, who included the top-seeded former Russian champion Nikita Vitiugov. Victory would enable the Taunton, Somerset-based grandmaster to equal Henry Atkins's nine championships from the first half of the 20th century and leave him just one short of Jonathan Penrose's total of 10 from the second half. Adams's subtle fourth round rook endgame against the GM Nigel Davies was a classic, while in round five he exploited Shreyas Royal's hesitant opening to establish early dominance. Adams retained his slender half point over a 10-player peloton in Thursday's sixth round with a solid draw against Vitiugov, but the two eye-catching results were by Royal, as the 16-year-old won an truly elegant 27-mover against IM Marcus Harvey, and 11-year-old Supratit Banerjee, who showcased his burgeoning talent by defeating GM Simon Williams. The championship outcome remained unclear after Friday's seventh round, when Adams missed a chance to consolidate his lead and was joined by Royal, who defeated Wadsworth. Adams and Royal have 5.5/7, followed by 13 players on 5/7. In the women's championship, Elmira Mirzoeva leads on 4.5/7, followed by Lan Yao and 10-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan on 4/7. There is live coverage and commentary by GMs Danny Gormally and Nick Pert on the English Chess Federation's YouTube channel starting at 2.30pm on Saturday and 10am on Sunday. 3984 1 Nxf7! and Black resigned. If 1…Rxf7 2 Qb3! and 3 Qxf7+ wins. If 1…Bc7 2 Qb3 Qb5 3 Nxh6+ Kh8 4 Rxf8 mate.
The Guardian
08-08-2025
- The Guardian
Magnus Carlsen shows class and wins $250,000 at frantic Esports World Cup
Magnus Carlsen was in imperious form at last week's Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a virtuoso performance both on and off the board. On it, the world No 1 won the group stage, the quarter and semi-finals, and the final, all in dominant style while seeing off the world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura and one of the leading young contenders, Alireza Firouzja. Offboard, Carlsen exuded enthusiasm for the event, and delivered upbeat and articulate responses to interviewers. The limit of 10 minutes per player per game, without the usual per move increment, was designed for tight TV schedules, and also led to frantic time scrambles and games decided by fractions of a second. A new chess phrase was coined, 'dirty flagging', to describe playing to win on the clock in a totally lost or drawn position before the opponent with less time can force checkmate. Carlsen himself declined his first two opportunities to use this technique, but accepted a third when the match situation became critical. In general, the time control favoured Carlsen, Nakamura and Firouzja, who between them have played tens of thousands of blitz and bullet (all the moves in one minute) games on and Carlsen made a seemingly conscious effort to present chess in the best possible light. The overall event featured enormous queues to watch every day and the obvious enjoyment of the audiences showed the potential for a new market. The tournament was slickly organised, with fast-moving interviews, game analyses, reviews and tactical highlights all following in quick succession. The online audience on for the final exceeded 30,000 viewers, more than five times the usual number for a grandmaster tournament. There was over-hype, but not enough to jar. The lead commentator, England's David Howell, enhanced his reputation as he continually provided calm and objective analysis. Gradually, Howell is becoming the first choice commentator for major chess events. In short, all the signs were that the Esports World Cup can become a permanent and welcome addition to the annual chess calendar. There is a new candidate to become the next super-talent after Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Carlsen. At barely 14, Turkey's Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus has broken numerous age records. He is the youngest ever to achieve a 2600 rating, a record previously held by Judit Polgar, and the second youngest after Polgar to reach Fide's world top 100. Last week Erdogmus defeated the eight-time Russian champion Peter Svidler by 4-2 in a classical match, the highlight being a 22-move win against his opponent's favourite Grunfeld Defence with a double rook sacrifice, one rook in the game and the other in the notes. Erdogmus now has a fleeting opportunity to beat Fischer's achievement of qualifying for the world title candidates at age 15. The Turkish youngster will have two chances to do it, at the Fide World Cup and Grand Swiss later this year. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion The nine-round British Championship at Liverpool has its final round on Sunday morning. Live coverage (2.30pm BST start, 10am on Sunday) is available at After five rounds, the eight-time title winner Michael Adams, 53, led with 4/5 by half a point from a group of eight, who included the top-seeded former Russian champion Nikita Vitiugov. Victory would enable the Taunton, Somerset-based grandmaster to equal Henry Atkins's nine championships from the first half of the 20th century and leave him just one short of Jonathan Penrose's total of 10 from the second half. Adams's subtle fourth round rook endgame against GM Nigel Davies was a classic, while in round five he exploited Shreyas Royal's hesitant opening to establish early dominance. Adams retained his slender half point over a 10-player peloton in Thursday's sixth round with a solid draw against Vitiugov, but the two eye-catching results were by Royal, as the 16-year-old won an truly elegant 27-mover against IM Marcus Harvey, and 11-year-old Supratit Banerjee, who showcased his burgeoning talent by defeating GM Simon Williams. Leaders after six of the nine rounds: GM Adams 5; GM Vitiugov, IM Siva Mahadevan (India), GM Ameet Ghasi, GM Daniel Fernandez. IM Yichen Han (Netherlands), IM Maciej Czopor (Poland), GM Matthew Wadsworth, GM Royal, FM Banerjee, and GM Gawain Maroroa Jones all 4.5. IM Lan Yao and WGM Elmira Mirzoeva lead the women's championship with 4/6. Under the rules, players with non-UK nationalities are eligible to compete after 12 months of British residence.
Spectator
06-08-2025
- Spectator
Esports World Cup
They say chess is an art, a science and a sport. Now it's an e-sport too. The Esports World Cup, held in Riyadh, is an annual international tournament for major computer games such as Dota 2, this year with $38 million in prizes across the 25 events. For the first time, chess took its place on the roster, and the $1.5 million prize pool drew most of the world's elite. Magnus Carlsen represented Team Liquid, a professional e-sports organisation fielding competitors in various events. Two of his toughest opponents were Alireza Firouzja and Hikaru Nakamura, playing for the Saudi e-sports organisation Team Falcons. In many ways, this was the culmination of a trend which began with the Magnus Carlsen Chess Invitational, held online during the pandemic in 2020. Rapid and blitz chess events have become an established income stream for the top players. Some, like the Speed Chess Championship, dispense with physical boards altogether, even when the players face off in a studio. The distinction is not merely cosmetic. Games at the Esports World Cup were played with ten minutes per player, but no time increment after each move. Over-the-board chess played without increment becomes a fiasco when pieces tumble over in the desperate final seconds, but playing without increment on a screen maintains decorum, even when the clock decides the outcome. Carlsen looked in his element in Riyadh, and almost always outpaced his opponents. He scored a convincing victory against Firouzja in the final. The position below, from their first game, appears sterile, but Firouzja's last move 21…Qc3-a3 was a crucial oversight. It was better to make a bolthole for the king with h7-h6. Magnus Carlsen-Alireza Firouzja Esports World Cup, Riyadh, 2025 22 Nb8! The Ra8 is trapped in a most unusual way, due to the idea of mate on the back rank. Raxb8 23 Qxb8 Qxa2 24 Qe5 h5 25 Rb8 Carlsen's advantage of rook for knight is accentuated by exchanging more pieces. Rxb8 26 Qxb8+ Kh7 4 Qb1+ Qxb1 28 Rxb1 g6 29 Ra1 Kg7 30 Rxa7 The endgame is a straightforward technical win by gradually advancing the king and pawns. Black resigned at move 45. Carlsen's splendid interference move with the knight is a rare motif, but there are precedents. In the game below, Black's previous move was 16…a7-a5, overlooking the threat. Once again, making a bolthole for the king with 16…h7-h6 was called for. Gideon Stahlberg-Raaphi Persitz Ljubljana, 1955 17 Bb8! Ne4 18 Bxe4 Raxb8 19 Qxb8 dxe4 20 Qf4 h5 21 Kg2 Black resigned at move 39.
