[Boku]

Construction of Philadelphia Fusion esports arena put on Covid halt

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...a-delayed.html

The opening of Comcast Spectacor’s $50 million Philadelphia purpose-built esports arena — slated to be the first of its kind in North America — will be delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The highly publicized Fusion Arena was supposed to be finished in 2021, but in a statement to Sports Business Journal, Comcast revealed that the project is now on hold, virtually ensuring that the original opening date will not be met. The venue was only in the early stages of construction — the groundbreaking was last September — so the delay could be significant.

“As we navigate through the many challenges and unknowns that the pandemic has forced upon our ambition to open Fusion Arena in 2021, we have decided to pause the project until we have more clarity. We hope to move forward in the near future,” the company said in the statement.

The venue is situated at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, which houses Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and Wells Fargo Center.

Comcast (NASDAQ: CMSCA) remains hopeful that the project will be resumed at some point, but the timing of that remains unclear. In addition to hosting Fusion home games, the venue is being built with an eye toward hosting all sorts of competitive gaming events amid the rise of esports.