Blizzard Entertainment's games had a strong foundation in influencing the strategy and MOBA titles, which dominate in eSports currently. However, the company never actually involve itself in competitive events until it started hosting tournaments at Blizzcon back in 2009. Now, it seems like the gaming juggernaut is moving ahead from its annual convention to open its permanent competitive gaming arena. It is reported to be the first gaming arena of the studio and will be bordered by a snack bar and souvenir shop.
According Engadget, the new Blizzard eStadium will be located in Taipei. It can host up to 250 seats. As seen in the photos, the snack bar will be loaded with jokey stuff flawlessly matching the company's certain sense of humor.
The Blizzard eStadium will officially operate to host the first games in the Overwatch Pacific Championship this coming April 8. It is a studio-run competitive league, which is slated in Taipei. The upcoming tournament will feature eight teams from different countries around the world such as Taiwan, Australia, Japan and Thailand. The teams will compete for 11 weeks with the top three seeded teams advancing to the playoffs and eventually this year's Overwatch World Cup.
The eStadium will continue to host matches from other Blizzard titles under the studio's competitive entourage such as Hearthstone and StarCraft 2. Apparently, players might also witness the remastered Starcraft: Brood War gracing the arena shortly.
It is expected that Blizzard will continue to open more eSports arena in some places around the world. With Overwatch overshadowing League of Legends regarding the PC knocks in South Korea and the country's strong empathy for StarCraft, it is more likely that Blizzard is planning to open its next eStadium there.
Overwatch is now available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Meanwhile, the upcoming Overwatch Pacific Tournament will come with a price of approximately $270,000.
