UK non-profit industry body the British Esports Federation (BEF) is expanding plans for its campus in Sunderland to incorporate a new creative hub alongside esports and gaming accommodation.
The new plans include self-contained accommodation for up to 25 people as well as a hub for content creation, within easy reach of the esports performance and education campus in Sunderland.
The facility is designed to mimic team and player performance in competitions, as well as to promote a healthy balanced lifestyle. In addition, the campus is equipped with gaming and creative technology to facilitate esports growth.
Plans for the National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) were first unveiled in January 2022, when the BEA announced it would open an esports performance and education centre, incorporating esports classrooms, performance booths and a 100-seat arena space to host regular esports events.
The centre is due to open later this year and will boast 11,000 square feet of esports facilities for 150 students, split over two floors on the outskirts of the northern UK city of Sunderland.
British Esports will be the first member of the Global Esports Federation (GEF) to have a dedicated esports campus. The organisation was a founding member of the GEF in 2019 and promotes esports awareness and sets standards in the UK.
Sunderland Councillor Graeme Miller commented in a release “Sunderland is a hugely ambitious city, and one that fully embraces the transformative power of digital to bring communities together, so it’s fitting that a sport that is built on digital and technology is investing so significantly here.”
Chair of British Esports, Andy Payne OBE, added: “We are proud to be making a significant investment in Sunderland and the North East with a new multi-site venue capable of attracting and developing the digital forward society of tomorrow.”
