Melbourne One-Ups Sydney as Nation’s eSports Capital

Melbourne Park is set to become the stage for Australia's biggest eSports tournament when it hosts the inaugural Melbourne eSports Open in September.

Taking place at Melbourne & Olympic Parks, the weekend-long event is being produced in conjunction with TEG Live and international eSports juggernaut ESL.

Ten thousand people are expected to attend each day filling multiple arenas including Rod Laver, Margaret Court and the Melbourne Park Function Centre.

The open will see a packed weekend schedule of top-level professional eSports competition in arenas complete with giant video screens, full concert lighting and concert-level audio production.

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The move to position Victoria as Australia's premier eSports destination comes just days after the NSW government opened its first dedicated eSports arena.

The new eSports tournament is expected to generate up to $25 million for the Victorian economy over five years, supporting jobs and boosting local businesses.

Victoria's Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren highlighted the need to move with the times and embrace a rapidly growing cultural shift in popular entertainment.

“The Melbourne eSports Open is a massive scalp for Victoria, tapping into one of the world’s most popular sectors of the sports and entertainment industry,” Eren said.

“We’re turning Melbourne Park into every gamers dream – giant screens, the best talent and latest technology.”

“With millions of gamers both at home and abroad, it’s time to bring all the action and fanfare of eSports to our backyard.”

eSports is one of the fastest-rising sectors in worldwide entertainment with a global audience of 385 million people and annual growth of more than 41 per cent.

There are more than 1.8 million eSports fanatics in Australia alone, including 560,000 in Victoria.