MediaMation and Hollywood Esports Expanding with a Chicago Arena

The MX4D Esports Theater Hollywood was finalized in late 2017 and opened with the launch of Wargaming's World of Tanks North American Championship in November. What was most interesting about the arena is that it was designed to be able to convert between a "Cinema Mode" and "Esports Mode" in under an hour, allowing movie theater owners to get dual revenue streams from Esports as well as movies. The Chicago theater will be much the same, though on a smaller scale, it seems.

 "We are honored to be partnering with Cinemas Entertainment to build and operate this leading-edge esports theatre in downtown Chicago," said Robert K. Laity, CEO of Hollywood Esports.

Mr. Henry Leong, President & CEO of Cinemas Entertainment commented, "Cinema owners are exploring new ways to appeal to our customers and as esports continues its rapid expansion in the US, cinemas have a unique ability to host weekly events and tournaments through Hollywood Esports utilizing MediaMation's innovative esports venue technology. We look forward to offering players, spectators and fans in Chicago a unique and immersive place to enjoy esports events in our new MX4D Esports Theater." The Chicago metropolitan area is home to a population of more than 9.5 million people and has a number of highly successful esports organizations and enthusiasts, which makes it a pretty solid market for an Esports Theater.

The good news about the expansion is that the product seems to be working, which is pretty good for esports fans. More dedicated arenas means more tournaments, which means more chances to see teams play or even get involved yourself.