Features

Stockholm set for Europe’s biggest esports venue

Swedish company Space has announced it will develop what it claims will be Europe’s largest permanent esports venue in Stockholm.

Space, which specialises in developing hubs for gaming, music and content creation, has said Space Stockholm will open in the first half of 2021 in Sergels Torg, the central public square in the Swedish capital.

The development will include 500 high-end PC gaming spaces, as well as areas for console and VR gaming. It will also offer co-working spaces and will feature a music recording studio. Space told the Esports Observer website that it is projecting visitor numbers of 5,000 per day and is currently developing an app for customers to pay by the hour to use its facilities.

This membership program will also include access to the hub’s three floors of co-working spaces, a gym, the ‘Space Club’ and free hours for the gaming machines. Gustav Käll; head of esports music label Enter Records and co-founder of Space, said: “I’ve seen the gaming centre as not the final piece of the puzzle, but a very important part in the growth of esports.

“It makes it accessible for everything – not everyone can buy high-end computers today. It just enables esports and gaming to become even more mainstream.”

He added: “In online culture, people are interested in gaming, music, and content creation. They are the three biggest pillars in terms of what the youth enjoy. We want to bring that under one roof.”

In a statement, Anna König Jerlmyr, Mayor of Stockholm, said: “Space Stockholm, with its unique location at the heart of Sweden’s capital, is poised to become a cultural landmark – not only for the city, but for the entire country. It promises a bright future for Sergels Torg by creating a modern, progressive hub for digital culture.”

Image: Space