Esports and gaming cafe chain SideQuest Gamers Hub drew over 200 attendees to its venues for its League of Legends World Championship 2023 watch parties, the company has announced.
SideQuest held watch parties at all of its venues, as well as overnight lock-ins at its three London branches, with 150+ esports fans attending its Charing Cross event.
The watch parties centred around the League of Legends World Championship 2023 Final, which was held in Seoul, South Korea on November 19th at 8am. The Finals saw Chinese esports organisation Weibo Gaming take on South Korea’s T1, with T1 coming out victorious.
The World Championship (Worlds) became the most-watched esports event ever, according to Esports Charts, reaching a peak concurrent audience of 6m — excluding Chinese viewers.
Alongside the watch parties, SideQuest held overnight lock-ins at its Charing Cross, Elephant & Castle and Stratford branches in London with activities throughout the night.
Overnight attendees competed in tournaments, including an ARAM 1v1 League of Legends tournament, as well as a League of Legends quiz and watch party bingo. Other activities included brand activations, giveaways and special edition League-themed drinks, SideQuest said.
SideQuest also noted that international fans including Chinese and Korean esports communities from various London universities attended the events.
Kanghoon Han, Organiser of Korean UK gaming group K_gamers_UK, commented: “As a massive fan of esports and gaming, attending the ‘Worlds 2023 Watch Party’ at Sidequest was amazing. What really set this watch party apart was its knack for bringing together individuals bonded by a shared passion for esports and gaming culture.
“Sidequest is the best place to build a gamers community. We didn’t have the opportunity to meet T1 and LCK fans in London. But with Sidequest we could make a fantastic event together. We hope to continue building this community with SideQuest in the future.”
SideQuest is a LAN gaming cafe chain. Previously named Wanyoo UK, it is the UK arm of leading Chinese internet cafe giant Wanyoo, having rebranded in May 2022.
SideQuest has five venues across the UK — three in London (Charing Cross, Elephant & Castle and Stratford), one in Leicester, and one in Coventry. The company also holds community- and grassroots-focused esports events at its facilities.
