Blizzard launches its own venue for live esports events in LA

Blizzard will open its own Blizzard Arena Los Angeles at Burbank Studios in Los Angeles on October 7. The game company will use the venue for esports events around its games such as Overwatch, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm.

The Blizzard Arena Los Angeles will house control rooms and rehearsal rooms at the Burbank Studios, most notably where NBC programs such as Jay Leno’s Tonight Show were filmed. According to Mashable, there are about 450 seats for the public, depending on the event. For them, there is a shop in the complex with products related to the game of the respective event they are visiting.

The location is also primarily intended for broadcasting the esports matches, starting with the Overwatch Contenders Season One Playoffs, which will be held on October 7 and 8. Blizzard will then host the Hearthstone Championship Tour’s Summer Championship on October 13, followed by the finals of the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship and the World of Warcraft Arena Championship at the end of that month.

It’s not Blizzard’s first esports venue. In March, the game company opened the doors of its first Arena, in Taiwan. Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said esports is currently at a “tipping point.”