Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to create world-cla­ss esports cluster

Here East has committed to leading a major new initiative to accelerate the growth of an esports cluster on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. A new report published by Here East and Arena Consultancy, and supported by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has outlined a roadmap to create a world-class esports cluster that will drive job creation and bring an industry worth $180bn globally to east London.

Through interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, esports leaders and academics, Here East and LLDC have identified the unique characteristics that make Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park the natural home for esports in the UK. These characteristics include state of the art sporting venues, close proximity to international esports teams and close engagement with academic institutions and local initiatives specialising in esports.

The report outlines a series of recommendations that Here East and LLDC believe will consolidate the Park’s position as the UK’s leading esports cluster. A dedicated team, led by Here East and LLDC and including other Park stakeholders and venues, will be established to deliver marketing and communication campaigns, new esports partnerships and collaborations with local initiatives to develop pathways to foster talent.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is already home to global esports competitions at the Copper Box Arena, Staffordshire University London – which offered the UK’s first esports undergraduate course – and esports and gaming businesses such as BT Sport, Sports Interactive and Bidstack.

The plan will build upon the long-term regeneration strategy being delivered by LLDC and stakeholders across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This includes realising the Park’s unique potential to establish a globally significant urban testbed focused on end-to-end innovation support. With its mix of world-class tech, creative, culture and higher education, the Park offers an unrivalled environment to support the emerging esports cluster.

The plan will also benefit from use of the existing mechanisms that LLDC, Here East and other Park partners have in place for stakeholder and community engagement. In particular, the existing relationships with youth networks will be a real strength in terms of communication about the games business.

Considering esports generated £60m in revenue across the UK in 2019, creating a world-class esports cluster on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park would accelerate the growth of the industry in the UK and drive job creation and economic growth in London.

Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East, comments, “Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park already hosts some of the most high profile esports competitions, teams and businesses in the UK and Here East has become the fastest growing community of esports innovation in the country.

“This report outlines our vision to transform the Park into a world-class esports cluster that sends a clear message to the global esports community – London has the talent, venues and expertise to become a global capital for esports.”

Download the report HERE

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