Team Liquid to share new esports venue with Wizards Distract Gaming, Caps Gaming

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) announced a new esports venue that will serve as a base for Team Liquid, NBA 2K League affiliate Wizards Distract Gaming and NHL sub-brand Caps Gaming.

The live-event theater will be called “District E Powered by Ticketmaster” and will be adjacent to the Capital One Arena which houses MSE’s Washington Capitals hockey team and both basketball teams, Washington Wizards and the Washington Mystics. With its 14,000 square-foot space in downtown Washington, D.C., the venue will give its esports teams a place to compete in official matches, a training facility to practice, and a fully operational kitchen for competitors and fans alike. “Given the rapid rise in the popularity of esports and the growing audience for gaming in general, we believe the time is right to build an esports-centric venue that serves as a rallying point for the gaming community in the Mid-Atlantic,” President of MSE Media & New Enterprises Zach Leonsis said.

District E esports venue

Though the facility will have an emphasis on its competitive esports teams, the layout of the venue focuses on attracting potential audiences passing by. District E floor plans show a three-space design that provides viewing space for events and an esports cafe equipped with dozens of PCs that run adjacent to where Team Liquid pro players, among its other teams, can play and train.

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The venue will also boast streaming pods for any affiliated streamer’s needs with their Twitch/YouTube broadcasts near a live audience.

District E joins a growing trend of esports venues and parks meant to facilitate fan engagement and pro players’ needs. Projects like EDG’s $1.5 billion esports park, Envy’s takeover of Esports Stadium Arlington, and even Australian org Fortress Esports’ “flagship” arena.

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MSE plans to have District E ready for fans and players by Fall 2022 as they work on its specialized Washington D.C. esports space.