Allied Esports to open Mall of Georgia esports venue

Global esports entertainment company Allied Esports and shopping, dining, and entertainment real estate company Simon have announced a new dedicated esports venue at Mall of Georgia in Buford, Georgia.

Mall of Georgia esports venue

“We’ve long felt that the gaming and esports communities in the Southeast, especially the greater Atlanta metropolitan area, are vibrant and growing and believe we have a location at Mall of Georgia that will serve as a dynamic hub for esports experiences in the region,” said Jud Hannigan, CEO of Allied Esports, in a release. “We’re excited to launch this first-of-its-kind on-mall venue and continue to develop and expand on this new concept for additional Simon destinations.”

The 13,000 square foot facility that covers two levels will be located at gaming and esports destination The Village. It will be part of the Allied Esports Property Network, where regular amateur and professional esports tournaments will be hosted across a variety of titles.

In addition to events being hosted, the locations will have broadcast and streaming production abilities to capture all of the action that takes place. Other features include PCs and consoles for daily use, full food and beverage options, experiential retail, and more.

The current retail space will be redeveloped in the second quarter of 2020, with the venue opening in the second half of the year.

Allied Esports, Simon partnership

“Allied Esports’ new esports facility is a perfect complement to the mix of shopping, dining and entertainment options at Mall of Georgia,” added John DiCioccio, General Manager of Simon. “Our guests enjoy experiential offerings, and this new concept is certain to become a fast favorite among those who visit the center.”

Allied Esports entered a strategic alliance with Simon in June of 2019. The two companies had revealed plans to open dedicated esports venues across the country and created an amateur esports tournament known as the Simon Cup.

The first iteration took place in November of 2019 with an inaugural Simon Cup Grand Finals at the HyperX Esports Arena. A final group of 64 Fortnite players clashed, with Daryl “Bugzvii” John taking first place and a $50,000 shopping spree as a prize.