Allied Esports’ new on-mall locations will offer visitors a variety of esports and gaming experiences, including nightly tournaments for all levels, PCs and consoles for walk-up play and daily use, broadcast and streaming production capabilities, full food and beverage options and experiential retail. Branding and design elements, including initial renderings for a Simon’s Mall of Georgia space, will be revealed later this year.
The two firms will begin working on the new venture immediately, with plans to open the first location at Simon’s Mall of Georgia in Buford, Georgia, in the second half of 2020.
Known for designing sports and entertainment projects, including Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the renovation of State Farm Arena, HOK has also established itself as a leader in the esports space. The firm has worked with private developers, professional teams and cities on initiatives ranging from conceptual, ground-up esports venues to master plans and studies.
“With our first-of-its-kind on-mall esports venue initiative, we had the opportunity to meet with the best in the design business, and we were impressed from the start by HOK’s experience, resources and overall enthusiasm for this project,” said Jud Hannigan, CEO of Allied Esports. “We are thrilled to be able to unveil this design to gamers in the Southeast as we continue to develop infrastructure and experiences for our growing network.”
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“We’re excited for the opportunity to bring Allied Esports’ vision for this unprecedented concept to life,” said Rashed Singaby, Senior Project Designer for HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment group. “Allied Esports has been at the forefront of innovation in the industry, and this partnership will help define the future of the esports experience for competitors and spectators.”
HOK draws on its experience with sports, entertainment and hospitality projects and its recent experience in the esports market to create spaces that respond to the needs of today’s spectators, competitors and business and media partners. Its esports thought leadership includes a white paper exploring concepts for the esports venue of the future; exploratory design work looking at opportunities around new buildings and retrofits; relationships with esports organizations and industry leaders; and speaking engagements at multiple industry conferences.
Allied Esports previously announced a strategic alliance with Simon to build dedicated esports venues at Simon properties around the country.
