Konami Holdings Corporation, the Japan-based parent company of Las Vegas-based slot supplier Konami Gaming, Inc., is building an esports center in Tokyo,
According to a report on Variety.com, the Konami Creative Center will be 12 stories high and include an underground floor as well. The complex will include an entire esports arena, a special pro shop-style store stocked with esports hardware and accessories, and areas where staff can teach esports classes meant to help bolster interest in the industry while scouting out and assisting new talent.
The idea behind the building is that the center will bolster Japan’s efforts to branch out in the esports scene. This new initiative follows the formation of the Japanese Esports Union.
“The people who participate in esports will, in the future, stand side by side with those participating in real-life sports like soccer, or even surpass them,” said Konami president Kimihiko Higashio during the building’s brick-laying ceremony. “Compared to esports pioneers America and Europe, Japan has still a long way to go. However, looking from another angle, it means Japan has lots of room for growth.”
The building will feature state-of-the-art video, sound, lighting and communications systems. According to the company, construction will be complete by November, in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I want to show the world, from here in Ginza, that the appeal of esports will not lose to that of real-life sports,” said Higashio.
