Game and Belong gaming arenas have joined forces with House of Fraser to open the UK’s biggest in-store gaming experience inside the department store on Oxford Street.
The arena covers 7,500 sq ft on the lower ground floor of the London department store and plays host to the largest permanent number of PCs and games consoles set up for competitive gaming.
Visitors can choose to compete against friends or other visitors in tournaments with up to 100 competitors.
The Belong arena will also introduce its first ‘pro room’ built especially for professional e-sports players and upcoming amateur teams.
Game chief executive Martyn Gibbs said “This has been such an exciting project and one we are very proud of. Joining the Sports Direct group has given Game and Belong further opportunities, Oxford Street is the perfect place to create the best retail and gaming experience for players.
“This is a new look and feel for Game and our largest Belong arena to date. We are very much looking forward to creating some great tournaments and in-store offers throughout Christmas and 2020. Through listening and working with our gaming community, we believe we have created the best gaming venue possible and look forward to welcoming every gamer.”
House of Fraser and Game are both owned by Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct group, now renamed Frasers group, which recently admitted he “regretted” buying the struggling department store and called for a business rates reform over the coming months in order to stay trading in the unprofitable stores.
The gaming arena will encourage a new wave of customers through its doors to not only take part in something experiential but also to purchase games, consoles, digital content and merchandise.
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