Landlord Simon and e-sports operator Allied Esports are teaming up to open venues in shopping centers around the country.
Simon will acquire $5 million worth of shares in Black Ridge Acquisition, which has agreed to acquire Allied Esports and its sister company, World Poker Tour.
Allied Esports aims to connect video-game players, streamers and fans through integrated arenas and mobile e-sports trucks worldwide, serving as both gaming battlegrounds and everyday content-generation hubs. Allied Esports’ locations currently include nearly a dozen properties around the globe.
HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas
Simon and Allied Esports will create dedicated e-sports venues and experience sites at select Simon locations in the U.S. They will also begin a new competition tour called The Simon Cup.
The in-mall arenas will be designed for tournament play and daily use, with the capability for expansion into common areas for larger e-sports activations and live events. The companies disclosed no details about the exact number of locations or venues.
HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas
“We're extremely pleased to collaborate with Black Ridge and Allied Esports, leading innovators in e-sports and gaming, to bring cutting-edge venues to our iconic properties around the country,” said Mark Silvestri, Simon's COO for development, in a press release. “This is exactly the type of innovative activation that excites our customers and drives traffic for our centers at Simon. Simon's successful locations are ideally suited to provide these new and exciting community spaces, complementing our other dynamic offerings.”
The Simon Cup will be a co-branded e-sports competition and gaming-tournament festival that combines online and in-person elements into a uniquely integrated content format. The activation includes regional tournament events at select Simon centers in the New York and Los Angeles markets, to culminate in a Grand Final in Las Vegas, at the HyperX Esports Arena.
By Brannon Boswell
Executive Editor, Commerce + Communities Today
