– Esports Arena Las Vegas, the first dedicated esports venue on the Strip, will forever alter the esports and entertainment landscape in Las Vegas and beyond when it opens its doors on Thursday, March 22 at Luxor Hotel and Casino. Featuring a unique blend of live experiences and streaming, opening weekend will showcase the arena’s versatility across professional esports, high-stakes tournaments, daily gaming, world-class production, and interactive entertainment.With a live show match lineup featuring fighting game phenoms SonicFox vs. GO1, Rogue vs. Ghost Gamingin Rocket League® and eUnited vs. Spacestation in SMITE, and more than 20 top esports talent and influencers in the building, opening night will include some of the most popular talent across multiple gaming communities.
In addition, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, currently the top streamer on Twitch, will make a special live announcement during the event stream.
Plus, world-renowned chef and gaming enthusiast José Andrés will talk about the unique gaming-inspired menu that he and the ThinkFoodEntertainment created for Esports Arena Las Vegas. ThinkFoodEntertainment, a division of Chef José Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup, will be delivering exclusive food and beverage offerings at the Las Vegas Strip’s first dedicated Esports Arena.
Fans can tune in to twitch.tv/esportsarena starting at 4 p.m. PDT on Thursday for live coverage of opening night and events all weekend long, and follow @ESALasVegas for additional exclusive content.
Thursday’s event and stream will be hosted by Dan “Frodan” Chou alongside studio analyst Jack “CouRage”Dunlop, reporters Kelly Link and Ovilee May, and stage host Zach “Coney” Zeeks.
SonicFox vs. GO1
Casters: Michael “Yipes” Mendoza, Chris Matrix
Preview: One of America's top fighting game players of all time and Japan's King of Anime Fighting Games collide on stage in a 1v1 rematch of last week’s Final Round Exhibition.
Rogue vs. Ghost Gaming
Casters: Caleb “WavePunk” Simmons, Kevin “Findable Carpet” Brown
Preview: Las Vegas’ home team, Rogue, kicks off a rivalry with another NA Rocket League Championship Series favorite, Ghost. With Sizz facing off against his former teammate Matt, how will these two teams clash on the 3v3 Rocket League pitch?
eUnited vs. Spacestation
Casters: Graham “HiRezHinduMan” Hadfield, Brandon “DMBRANDON” Nance
Preview: Reigning world champion eUnited takes on fellow North American team Spacestation Gaming in a (5v5) SMITE showdown.
“CouRage,” fresh off his jump to OpTic Gaming, and “DMBRANDON” will join Rumay “Hafu” Wang and David “Dog” Caero with live streams from Esports Arena Las Vegas throughout the day Thursday and Friday.
On Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25, Esports Arena Las Vegas will host a two-day, $25,000 Super Smash Bros for Wii U event, featuring some of the game’s top casters and analysts, to kick off Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas, the first global circuit for Super Smash Brothers. Following the Vegas event, the Smash Masters League series will make stops across North America, Europe and China with the winner at each competition earning a spot at the championship back in Las Vegas in December.
To register for the event and for additional participant information, visit EsportsArenaVegas.com. Doors open at 11 a.m. and play begins at 12 p.m. each day, and the arena will be free to enter for spectators of the tournament.
Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas – Super Smash Bros for Wii U
Caster/Analyst Teams:
- D'ron “D1” Maingrette / Stephenson “Bam” Bamidele
- Phil “EE” Visu / Terrence “TKBreezy” Kershaw
- Austin “Austy” Nolte / Rodney Coyners
Additional talent:
- Stage Host: Zach “Coney” Zeeks
- Insider: Luis “Suar” Suarez
- Reporter: Paola “PancakePow” Alejandra
- Studio Analyst: Charles “K0rean” Thoren
Following the conclusion of Saturday’s Smash play, starting at approximately 9 p.m., the arena will host a special Esports Music Experience (EMX) event featuring headliner Pegboard Nerds, supporting headlinerGrimecraft and opener Trav Piper. The event is open to ages 21-plus and tickets will be sold at the door for $25.
At a total of 30,000-square feet, Esports Arena Las Vegas consists of three connected spaces: the Main Hall, featuring the main competition stage, gaming stations, a two-story video wall, upper- and lower-level VIP rooms, two bars, and production facilities; The Dome, which houses an interactive history of gaming display, a 360-degree videoboard, and a one-of-a-kind gaming inspired chandelier; and the Front Lobby, featuring additional gaming stations, a streaming booth and a virtual reality experience.
Esports Arena Las Vegas’ opening night event on Thursday, March 22 is invite-only. Friday through Sunday, the Front Lobby and The Dome will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. for gaming and VR with food and beverage available for purchase. Following tournament preparation on Friday, the Main Hall will be open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and is free for fans interested in viewing competition action. Food and beverage will be available for purchase. To play in the tournament, registration must take place in advance.
Esports Arena Las Vegas will begin standard operating hours on Monday, March 26 at noon. Additional information will be shared in the coming days and available at EsportsArenaVegas.com. All times listed in PDT.