And so once again, Melbourne steps up to the cultural and sporting crease, with Fortress Esports Pty Ltd announcing plans for Fortress Melbourne -- a "state of the art" gaming and esports entertainment venue being built in the Melbourne CBD at Emporium Melbourne with plans to be open and up and running in "early 2020".

And this isn't just a little geek nook hidden away from the public, the planning behind this is very, very serious.

Fortress Melbourne, located in the heart of the CBD, will span 2,700+ square metres across two floors and is set to open its doors in early 2020. It will offer a new kind of entertainment experience with over 160 gaming PCs, console gaming suites, dedicated streamer pods, RPG and tabletop game play area, function rooms, a full service restaurant, two bars, and a 200 seat purpose-built esports arena with production facilities, all under one roof.

“Melbourne has become the epicentre for video gaming and esports culture with major events like Melbourne Esports Open and PAX Australia, so we’re excited to be opening our first flagship venue in Melbourne and offer Australians a unique entertainment space that they can enjoy all year round,“ said Jon Satterley, CEO at Fortress Esports via press release.

“We want to make Fortress Melbourne the ultimate ‘home away from home’ for everyone, from casual gamers, competitive gamers and esports fanatics, to families and after work crowds. Fortress Melbourne will offer the best video gaming experiences and entertainment, with the newest tech, fastest internet, comfortable decor, great food and drinks, and a rich calendar of events and tournaments, plus more,” added Satterley.

“Emporium Melbourne is thrilled to become the home of the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest video gaming and esports venue, which will offer a one-of-a-kind Australian gaming and entertainment experience,” said Carolyn Viney, Chief Development Officer at Vicinity Centres.

“We are always looking at new, unique experiences to offer our customers and with the global phenomenon of esports rapidly gaining fans in Australia, Emporium Melbourne’s city location makes it the obvious choice for an esports arena and gaming venue that will cater to all audiences. This exciting first for entertainment venues reflects Melbourne’s standing as the cultural and events capital of Australia and cements Emporium Melbourne as a market-leading retail, dining and entertainment destination in the CBD.”

For the development, Fortress Esports Pty Ltd has partnered exclusively with US-based Allied Esports, the world’s leading network of esports venues and production facilities and operators of the famed HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor in Las Vegas, to deliver a world-class esports experience and venue. Allied Esports will be lending its expertise in global event programming, development and operation so Fortress will be a ready-to-go championship destination for tournaments.

Fortress Esports is also working with global architectural design firm Populous, the designers of ANZ Stadium and the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, to transform the current basement and lower ground space, which will have a separate entry from Caledonian Lane, in Emporium Melbourne.

The multi-level, multi-purpose entertainment space will feature:

• Purpose-built, dedicated esports arena with retractable 200 seat grandstand on lower ground
  
• 50+ networked PCs within arena when seating is retracted
  
• Esports “sports” bar to complement arena
  
• Broadcast and production facilities
  
• 400+ sq/m themed basement “tavern” bar and restaurant
  
• Dedicated 56 PC LAN lounge
  
• 4 streamer pods
  
• 200+ sq/m function room with 40 extra PC’s for private events, birthday parties
  
• Dedicated area for RPG and tabletop gaming
  
• Professional esports boot camp room & training facilities
  
• 5+ big screens across both floors of the venue, broadcasting live tournaments and international playoffs year round
  
• Purpose built “casual console” gaming suites throughout the venue
  
• Merchandise store with esports apparel and tech

Meanwhile in Sydney, our government is too busy building unnecessary roads and locking people out of fun unless there's taxes to be made for them from exempt casinos.

Sigh.