New E-sports complex to celebrate its opening on Saturday

A view of the Seoul OGN e-Stadium / Courtesy of OGN

By Baek Byung-yeul

The newly built Seoul OGN e-Stadium, dedicated to e-Sports or competitive video gaming, will officially open Saturday.

The Seoul Metropolitan City Government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have invested 4.3 billion won ($3.8 million) for the world’s first competitive video gaming competitions-only complex, which occupies six floors of the S-Plex Center in Sangam, western Seoul. After going through seven years of construction, the complex has held test operations over the last two weeks.

The Seoul OGN e-Stadium will be operated by local entertainment and media conglomerate CJ E&M’s video gaming cable channel OGN. Comprised of main and auxiliary floors, the complex has a seating capacity of 1,000.

In comparison with the previous e-Sports complex in Yongsan, central Seoul, OGN said the new complex features bigger LED screens and a better sound system. Also the environment for pro-gamers is much improved ― unlike at the Yongsan complex, players don’t need to worry about using the same exits as spectators as the new complex has extra exits for them.

Commemorating its opening, various kinds of e-Sports events will be held this weekend ― the Seoul Cup World Invitational, an e-Sports tournament in which professional gamers will compete in Blizzard Entertainment’s card game “Hearthstone,” will take place on Saturday and Sunday; and an “e-Sports Development Forum,” hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan City Government and the Seoul Business Agency, will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday. OGN said Hearthstone fans visiting the complex this weekend will receive special gifts.

After the opening weeks, Seoul OGN e-Stadium will hold the biggest event of the summer, the League of Legends Champions Korea, which is arguably the most popular e-Sports competition here.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon expects the new e-Sports complex will escalate the country’s presence as the birthplace of e-Sports.

“The city government will fully support the complex after considering feedback from a variety of organizations and e-Sports fans,” Park said during an e-Sports event held in Seoul on April 3. “To promote the city as a mecca of e-Sports, we will take every measure so that the complex can host various kinds of global e-Sports events.”