But as esports transformed from a solitary hobby into a multi-million dollar industry, professional gamers began looking for larger venues to play. Today they are opening modern esports clubs and building arenas to host competitions and stream them online.
Similar places began to appear throughout Ukraine. Real-world arenas attract sponsors, which is an important source of income for esports. They also make people realize that esports isn't just about video games played by players - it's a real sport with a big budget and a huge prize pool.
Cybersportsmen from China, Brazil, the USA and Western Europe often visit Ukraine.
According to Ivan Danishevsky, President of the Ukrainian Esports Federation, the country does not need any more esports arenas at the moment. “Now it is more important to fill arenas with people than cities with arenas,” Danishevsky told the Kyiv Post.
Globally, esports is a $ 1 billion industry with 500 million subscribers. Almost $ 600 million in revenue in 2020 came from sponsorships and only $ 50 million from the sale of goods and tickets to esports events.
One of the key infrastructure projects for the development of e-sports in Ukraine is the purchase of the Dnipro Hotel by the owner of an e-sports team.
«In five years, we plan to change the country’s esports industry. We have started to develop the infrastructure with the Dnipro Hotel. And before long, we will get down to delivering the project to create a multifunctional esports arena in the center of Kyiv, which will be one of its kind in Ukraine. It is our core project, which will allow us to hold international-level events, and not only esports ones but also musical and sporting events. The next step is to open twenty cutting-edge gaming centers in Ukraine’s major cities. On top of it, as part of our strategy, we will set up an Esports Academy, launch the Ukrainian Championship, the Ukrainian Cup, as well as school and university student leagues. In addition, we will not leave education behind – esports departments will be launched in leading Ukrainian universities.
The detailed strategy for developing esports in Ukraine will be presented in early September 2020, as part of the presentation of the Ukrainian Professional Esports Association, which will bring together key market players known all over the world.
Frankly speaking, we were not going to build or purchase a hotel. But when it was announced that the Dnipro Hotel was up for auction, we saw that the object is unique, and it suits our ecosystem ideally. So, now we plan to set up the first-ever Esports Ready Hotel. It will feature unique esporting elements, such as training areas, an esports stage, special suites for professional players, as well as the world’s best players’ lounge» - said Alexander Kokhanovskyy in his interview to ian.ua.
