International esports organisation Ninjas in Pyjamas has unveiled its new home venue for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL).
Having formed a strategic partnership with Shenzhen Poly Culture Dev. Co Ltd, the esports stadium is located within the Buji Cultural and Sports Center in the Longgang District of Shenzhen, China. The venue opened to the public on March 30th, with a maximum capacity of over 2,000 spectators.
This marks an incredible expansion compared to the previous venue, which only featured 445 seats for the audience, nearly quintupling the total capacity.
The new NIP stadium is one of the five esports venues used by the LPL in China, with the others being the JD Intel Esports Center in Beijing, the Yangcheng International Esports Arena in Suzhou, the QuJiang Esports Center in Xi’an, and the Hongqiao Tiandi Acting Center in Shanghai.
Aside from the latter, the other three are the home venues for JD Gaming, LNG Esports and Team WE, respectively.
The new venue from Ninjas in Pyjamas is the only one situated in Southern China among the ones in the LPL, making it a hub for the young demographic of esports fans in the city. Moreover, the Buji Cultural and Sports Center already integrates fitness, cultural life, and leisure with the other facilities.
Ninjas in Pyjamas Continues to Expand
NIP has been making strides despite the financial challenges and the downturns in the industry, also known as the esports winter.
The holding company, NIP Group, went public on the NASDAQ exchange in July 2024, and it has recently announced a multi-year partnership with ADIO Holdings Restricted Limited (ADIO), receiving a backing of up to $40m (~£32.6m) across four years. The stock is currently trading at $1.51 (~£1.18), a major decrease from the IPO at $9.02 (~£7.05).
On the esports side, Ninjas in Pyjamas competes across several game titles, including Rainbow Six Siege, League of Legends, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Counter-Strike 2, EA FC and MLBB, with operations across Sweden, China, Abu Dhabi and Brazil.
