Perth esports is set to take advantage of an economic invigoration program helmed by the Western Australian government that will see a dedicated gaming and esports hub added to the university precinct of Perth’s central business district.
The hub, which is part of a $1.5 billion deal penned by Perth City to “re-energise Perth’s CBD,” aims to link the city’s technological center with Singapore and East Asia.
Murdoch University plans to build a vertical campus with their $360 million slice of the grant funding. This planned development will house a Digital Futures Academy, which includes the esports hub. Curtin and Edith Cowan universities have also been included in the deal.
Murdoch vice-chancellor Eeva Leinonen acknowledged, “esports are rapidly growing in popularity along with interactive gaming in general, and Murdoch University will be at the forefront of this new industry with learning, development and research.”
Murdoch University has secured funding from the State Government to build a new vertical campus in the Perth CBD, including a Digital Futures Academy and an eSports hub, as part of a new $360 million university City Deal.https://t.co/SijsD4P7q6 pic.twitter.com/hoFc69HfRi
— Murdoch University (@MurdochUni) September 20, 2020
Murdoch’s esports club is well entrenched in the local environment already, and will be well-positioned to capitalize on this development, having already partnered with organisations like Pentanet and Pentanet.GG for activations in the local area.
Pentanet’s managing director Stephen Cornish shared in the excitement too.
“We have been engaging with Murdoch University about working together to expand esports in Western Australia, and we are excited about the prospect of an esports stadium being developed as part of Murdoch’s CBD campus,” he said.
“Perth’s proximity to Asia – which incorporates the largest gamer base in the world – makes Perth and Western Australia an ideal location for an esports hub.”
Being included in Perth’s new development positions Perth’s budding esports industry as a key player in a precinct which, as federal finance minister Mathias Cormann described the deal, should “unlock Perth’s incredible future potential.”
Stay tuned to Snowball Esports for the latest on if Perth esports unlocks along with it.
