Full Sail University Is Building The Biggest Collegiate Esports Arena

Step aside Ohio State University, Full Sail University says it has plans to build the largest on-campus collegiate esports arena in the United States. To accomplish that feat, Full Sail is working on creating an 11,200+ square foot facility, which will support its collegiate level varsity esports team Armada as well as other professional industry esports initiatives.

The arena and its supporting spaces will cost Full Sail more than $6 million to build out.

The new arena is scheduled to be completely built by early 2019 and is being referred to as “The Fortress.” It will be used to host collegiate and professional gaming tournaments, live esports streaming events and is even being suggested as a home for drone racing competitions.

Up to 100 esports athletes will have room to compete against each other simultaneously once The Fortress is completed. Additionally, it will have room for more than 500 spectators.

Separately, Full Sail is working on building a practice space solely for its Armada team, where participants can train for upcoming tournaments. The team currently competes in games such as League of Legends, Smite, Overwatch, Rocket League, Smash Brothers, and Dragon Ball FighterZ.

“We are excited about these additions to our campus as we continue to strive to make Full Sail the premier destination for students who want to pursue careers in entertainment and media, and specifically, gaming and the various aspects of the live event industry,”  says Full Sail University COO Ken Goldstone. “Whether it be the business aspects of video game and sports management, the information technology behind synchronized gaming within esports, to shoutcasting, live production, game creation, streaming live-casts, and more, there are a multitude of diverse skills and opportunities for our students to explore. In addition, these efforts support our establishment as a leading global destination for students who want to participate in the esports lifestyle as part of their college experience, be it as a top competitive player, a casual player, a social follower and fan of esports, or an individual selected to learn from our industry partners.”