The Barclays Center is home to an arsenal of sporting events and musical performances that routinely sell-out the arena's 19,000 person capacity. However, the entertainment complex is looking to expand their repertoire by hosting their first gaming championship with the help of Overwatch League, a year-old e-sports organization.
After a particularly successful inaugural season, which averaged 408,000 viewers per minute during a match, Overwatch will be taking this year's finale to the Barclays Center on July 27 and 28.
"Barclays Center is in the big event business, and we consider hosting the first-ever Overwatch League championship as no different," reveals Keith Sheldon, the executive vice president of programming for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment.
Overwatch is a first-person shooting game that boasts a roster of colourful characters. So far, the game has generated an annual revenue of $1 billion and is played by 35 million users worldwide.