Momentum for the eSports sector in the UK is gathering apace with the announcement of eSports Dock, a new Innovation Hub for the sector in Silvertown, East London.

The 200,000 sq ft space, located in the heart of London’s Royal Docks and minutes from the new Elizabeth line at Custom House station, will be a place where the industry’s top developers, designers, publishers, manufacturers and of course gamers, can come together to collaborate, innovate, make, test and compete.

London’s Royal Docks is already a go to place for eSports with Excel London hosting the ESL UK premiership finals which broke records for the most viewed UK tournament in history and the announcement of the World Esports Association (WESA); an open and inclusive organization that will further professionalize esports worldwide. Last month also saw more than 131,000 visitors at Excel London for MCM London Comic Con, the UK’s biggest and best celebration of modern pop culture

eSports is one of the fastest growing sectors worth around $463 million and entertaining an audience of 148 million regular enthusiasts, and an additional 144 million occasional viewers who tune in for big events (Newzoo eSports 2016)). eSportsDock will boost this sector in London with high quality studio and production facilities, testing and practice spaces, as well as collaborative work spaces allowing co-creation and collaboration across sectors and disciplines.

Ben Reed, Head of Brand at The Silvertown Partnership said: “eSports is a sector experiencing explosive growth, however London doesn’t have a dedicated home for businesses in this sector to come together and grow. Royal Docks is already well positioned with ExCel London attracting thousands of fans for Comic Con and Game Mania; paving the way for Silvertown to create an eco-system of gamers, publishers, content creators and distributors enabled by fast connectivity and the latest technology.”

James Dean, Managing Director from ESL UK said “London has a big part to play in the growth of eSports. The Royal Docks is already an area with a firm eSports foundation and the plans at Silvertown will give this a big boost, accelerating the growth of eSports and reaching as many gamers as possible around the world.”