Philadelphia is getting the world's first 'video gaming arena'

You've heard of basketball areas and hockey arenas. You've maybe even used metaphorical arenas, like the arena of love. But a video gaming arena? That's something totally new.

Not for much longer, though: Philadelphia is set to get the world's first special-purpose "esports arena," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday. The stadium is being built by Comcast for $50 million, and will be located in the southern part of the city near XFinity Live!, Citizens Bank Park, and the Wells Fargo Center. The arena will seat 3,500 people.

The commissioner of the Overwatch League, which has 20 gaming franchises in the U.S., China, South Korea, Canada, and other countries, told the Inquirer that "this is a huge step for esports. This is something we will see pop up all over the world." Comcast's Fusion, one of the Overwatch teams, will be housed in the new arena.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Some 40 million people play the team-based first-person shooter game Overwatch globally, including 400,000 in the Philadelphia television market, the Inquirer reports.