North American esports organisation Gamers First (G1) has revealed plans for a new multi-purpose headquarters facility, which will include studios, training facilities and an event space.
The new 25,500 square-foot facility is located in the East Congress district of Austin, Texas. The space will be used as a headquarters for G1’s esports operations, as well as other companies owned by G1 CEO and Co-Founder Kenny Vaccaro.
Co-founded by former NFL player Kenny Vaccaro, G1 is a North American esports organisation that fields competitive teams in Halo, Rocket League, and Trackmania. The organisation also has a large roster of content creators.
G1 is a part of Vaccaro Enterprises, a holding company that recently acquired Evolve PCs, a custom computer manufacturer from the United States. The company also bought Women’s Car Ball, a womens’ Rocket League esports league, in February 2023.
The space, which was previously a warehouse, will feature a modular layout, with spaces for each of its operating companies. According to a release, all spaces are designed to be modular and moveable, depending on the requirements for a specific activation or event.
For example, G1’s South By Southwest activations will use office spaces that will be moved outside of the building.
The price tag for the facility was not revealed, but a release stated it was a ‘multi-million dollar’ build-out. The HQ will house Evolve PCs, Women’s Car Ball, and various media entities, G1 said.
The investment in the new facility comes despite a report by Esports Insider on August 4th that G1 had not paid staff working on its Women’s Car Ball league, nor paid out prize pool money to teams in the league. G1 has since started started to pay teams and staff money they were owed.
Alongside the aforementioned purposes, the space will also include a large office space, player lounge, speakeasy, stage, podcast studio, team offices, and co-working spaces.
The new facility is expected to be finished before Q3 2024. It has alreay broken ground, G1 said.
In a release, Vaccaro Enterprises noted that its constituent companies “will continue to operate within the headquarters and will serve as event space for various activations and experiences.”
