Name: Esports arena for professional video game competitions planned for Chicago’s Near South Side
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Esports arena for professional video game competitions planned for Chicago’s Near South Side

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AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneDec 01, 2020 at 8:09 amProfessional video game players could compete in front of large crowds on the Near South Side if a local real estate developer’s unique, post-pandemic vision comes to fruition.Scott Greenberg, best known for Chicago hotels such as the Wit in the Loop and the EMC2 hotel in Streeterville, wants to build a $30 million esports venue called Surge near the Stevenson Expressway.AdvertisementThe 106,000-square-foot venue at 2500 S. Wabash Ave. would serve food and drinks from three large kitchens, and include an arena large enough for 800 spectators to watch top players compete, Greenberg said.“What we’re doing is not like anything else in the world, as far as esports stadiums,” said Greenberg, president of Lincolnshire-based ECD Co.AdvertisementECD’s partner on the project is Chicago-based virtual reality company MassVR, which had a smaller esports venue in Old Orchard shopping mall in Skokie before it closed during the coronavirus pandemic.During COVID-19, video games mostly have been limited to players’ homes, creating a . But the development of vaccines is bringing hope that large gatherings can safely resume in 2021.In the meantime, the developers believe the rise in esports’ popularity, including many high school and college teams, means there is significant interest in watching professionals compete in person.The facility would be west of McCormick Place and include a brick building that previously was home to a Kozy’s bicycle shop and new structures designed by Chicago architecture firm Koo.Up to 80 esports players could compete at once, using virtual reality equipment.A two-story arena and broadcast center would be large enough to accommodate crowds of 800 for major events, Greenberg said.What will make Surge unique is a video canvas 35 feet tall and 85 feet wide, similar in quality to an IMAX film, Greenberg said. High-quality sound effects “will make the audience feel the excitement and the energy as if they are inside the game,” Greenberg said.Spectators will be able to sit with friends in suite-like areas, with food and drinks delivered to their table, Greenberg said.AdvertisementAld. Pat Dowell, 3rd, last week conducted a virtual public meeting for the developers to present their proposal. Dowell said she supports the project, which requires a zoning change.The project is expected to move to a Chicago Plan Commission meeting this month or in January, in a zoning process that eventually will require City Council approval, Dowell said.Pending zoning approval, the developers want to begin construction by the summer, with plans to open by summer 2022.Twitter Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneDec 01, 2020 at 8:09 amProfessional video game players could compete in front of large crowds on the Near South Side if a local real estate developer’s unique, post-pandemic vision comes to fruition.Scott Greenberg, best known for Chicago hotels such as the Wit in the Loop and the EMC2 hotel in Streeterville, wants to build a $30 million esports venue called Surge near the Stevenson Expressway.AdvertisementThe 106,000-square-foot venue at 2500 S. Wabash Ave. would serve food and drinks from three large kitchens, and include an arena large enough for 800...

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The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are named), it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region. It had the 6th highest circulation for American newspapers in 2017.

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Esports arena for professional video game competitions planned for Chicago’s Near South Side

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