Tech and innovation campus Here East is to launch a major initiative to accelerate the growth of an eSports cluster on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
A report published today by Delancey’s Here East and supported by the London Legacy Development Corporation has outlined a roadmap to create a world-class eSports cluster that will drive job creation and bring an industry worth £130 billion globally to East London.
The report, which includes interviews with eSports leaders and academics, identifies why it believes the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the natural home for eSports in the UK, including state of the art sporting venues, close proximity to international eSports teams and close engagement with academic institutions and local initiatives specialising in eSports.
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.
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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.
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.
eSports generated £60m in revenue across the UK in 2019 and the stakeholders believe they can accelerate the growth of the industry in the UK and drive job creation and economic growth in London.
“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,” said Here East CEO Gavin Poole.
“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.
“We have outlined an ambitious roadmap to realise the potential of eSports on the Park in a way that brings significant economic and social benefits to the capital, the emerging British eSports industry and local communities.
“We look forward to working with the London Legacy Development Company and the wider Park community to bring this roadmap to life.”
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