Populous has announced its plans for an esports gaming center in the new Qiddiya City entertainment district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The proposed Qiddiya City Esports Arena is included under the Saudi Vision 2030 umbrella and serves a considerable market of gaming fans within the country that is anticipated to grow to contribute $13 billion to the country’s GDP annually in the same time period.
Populous will leverage a considerable past experience in esports and gaming, including the NBA 2K League Broadcast Arena, Fortress Melbourne, and the new Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The firm says its final product will be unique to them all both in terms of scale and their users’ experience, creating a “fantasy world” with capacity for more than 5,155 players.
The program is divided into six translucent volumes, each with its own LED-lit entrance. Once inside, the gaming experience will be focused into a central bowl seating arrangement wrapped by two concourse levels that provide an ulterior arcade, retail, dining, immersive entertainment zone, and other breakout areas for competitors. A large ‘digital chandelier’ is positioned at the front of the auditorium, and gamers will enjoy their new 4D haptic seating arrangements whose sightlines are optimized following an extensive study and created using special parametric design software.
Another 20% of the program is dedicated to hospitality and divided into six distinct gaming-inspired concepts. In a news release, Shireen Hamdan, Senior Principal and General Manager of Populous KSA, said: “The Qiddiya City Esport Arena is a state-of-the-art esports venue that will serve as a centerpiece for this incredible global gaming hub and will be a complete representation of Qiddiya’s ‘Play Life’ ethos.”
The forthcoming Qiddiya Gaming and Esports District will eventually host four esports venues of various sizes. No construction timelines for the Populous arena have been proposed yet. The firm has been operating in the country since 2018. Once complete, the district is expected to attract upwards of 10 million visitors per year.
No Comments
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.