Attention, gamers and esports fans in OC: the DreamHack gaming lifestyle event is headed this way.
DreamHack Anaheim will take place from Feb. 21-23 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Tickets and passes are now being offered for sale online; prices range from $39 for one-day passes to $499 for all-inclusive access.
Orange County has become a hub in the fast-growing esports industry, and the Anaheim weekend festival, which will run 24 hours a day, is the latest example of that.
It will feature “everything gaming under one roof,” including:
• Pro esports tournaments
• Amateur and varsity gaming tournaments
• Bring-your-own-computer LAN party
• Cosplay contest for those dressing up as a character from a work of fiction such as a comic book, video game, or movie.
And don’t forget panels, art, activities, expo, screenings, live music, and more.
DreamHack co-CEO Marcus Lindmark in announcing the event last month said it will be “our first-ever West Coast festival weekend.”
The company said this year has been a “tremendous year of growth,” with events in Montreal, Rotterdam and Atlanta still to come.
It is the latest sign of a vibrant local gaming culture.
Allied Esports Entertainment Inc., an Irvine-based company that runs venues and live events for online gaming enthusiasts, went public last month. Company officials there see major growth possibilities for the competitive side of the industry.
Allied Esports (Nasdaq: AESE), which also runs the World Poker Tour, employs nearly 100 people including 30 in Irvine.
“We are highly confident because esports is not a bubble,” Allied Esports Chief Executive Frank Ng told the Business Journal mid-last month.
“Esports is huge, it’s big. It’s at its early stage, but the potential is amazing.”
Esports is defined as the “competitive tournaments of video games, especially among professional gamers.”
Simon Property Group of Indianapolis, the largest operator of shopping malls in the U.S., said it will invest $5 million in Allied Esports as part of a plan to create sites for competitive video game events at some of the real estate company’s malls.
Even the University of California-Irvine has its own varsity esports team. UCI has invested heavily on esports with scholarships, as well as a 3,500-square-foot gaming center on campus, that holds about 80 computers. The school’s program has been featured on ESPN.
