VERITAS Entertainment has announced the launch of LVL in Berlin, a state-of-the-art esports and gaming venue, and secured $10m in a funding round led by BITKRAFT Esports Ventures.

One of Europe’s largest esports spaces

Designed for both community and competition use, LVL Berlin will officially open to the public on 26^th March, 2020 at 19:00 CET. At +2500m² (+26,000ft²), spread across two floors, it is one of the largest esports spaces in Europe.

Equipped with a full-stack production studio, “mind-blowing VR experiences”,  and a noise-cancelling dome that enables pro esports matches to be hosted in close proximity to the audience and casters without impeding player performance, LVL Berlin will provide a state-of-the-art space for pro and amateur gamers to connect, train and compete.

Image courtesy of VERITAS Entertainment

BITKRAFT leads $10m funding round

Additionally, VERITAS has also secured $10 million in funding from BITKRAFT Esports Ventures and other angel investors. The company says it will uses the capital to build its infrastructure, scale its team to manage operations, and expand to more cities.

Talking about the new venue Co-Founder and Managing Director of VERITAS Entertainment, Dorian Gorr, said:

“We created LVL to fill a gap that currently exists in the landscape of physical gaming and esports venues. The esports ecosystem currently has large arenas and glorified internet cafés with a few PCs in them, but not a permanent facility where premium events can be hosted while also serving as a place to socialize with friends.

“It’s not only a facility for professional teams to practice, but it’s a hub for entertainment, collaboration, and connection. After months of planning and construction, we’re thrilled to finally open the doors and welcome the public.”

The noise-cancelling dome. Image courtesy of VERITAS Entertainment

G2 Esports’ new Berlin base

LVL Berlin will also serve as official Berlin venue and home of G2 Esports, one of the world’s fastest-growing and most competitively successful esports organisations. As a partner of LVL, G2’s pro teams and creators will practice and create from dedicated G2 areas boasting practice and content creation rooms, in addition to public, community-driven locations within the venue, giving esports fans the opportunity to interact with G2 and its players.

G2 Esports CEO, Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez, was enthusiastic about the new venue, saying:

“LVL is the best possible place for being the home of G2’s teams to practice, bootcamp and interact with our amazing fans. It will be the go-to place for us to spend time with the #G2ARMY and interact with our people in Berlin, the capital of esports in Europe.

“We are proud that we can present our world-class partnerships in this beautiful city with Veritas as we both work together to bring highly entertaining experiences to esports.”

Image courtesy of VERITAS Entertainment

Much more than just an esports space

In addition to serving as a gathering place for fans, casual gamers and esports pros, VERITAS says LVL Berlin will also be home to content creators, live streamers, cosplayers, musicians, and artists – helping drive the mainstream adoption of esports and gaming.

Coinciding with the opening of the Berlin venue, LVL will be launching a 24/7 esports gaming channel on Twitch and YouTube to broadcast highlights from the venue and content created on in its studio. High-tech won’t be confined to gaming either, with a “culinary robotic machine serving up high-quality burgers for hungry patrons.”

Discussing the news BITKRAFT Founder and Managing Partner, Jens Hilgers, said:

“At BITKRAFT we believe strongly in physical experiences tailored to a gaming native and digital-first audience. In particular we believe that esports participation and fandom at scale is contributing significantly to make such new physical entertainment experiences successful.

“While we have seen many incarnations playing to this thesis, we became truly excited about the vision and approach of the LVL team and are excited to see their vision materialize with the launch of the iconic Checkpoint Charlie Berlin location.” 

Adding to the unique appeal of the venue, it is situated right in the heat of Berlin at the site of the historic ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ – the most famous crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947-1991). LVL will be accessible for esports and gaming fans year-round, with VERITAS expecting to welcome least 250,000 visitors and host around 130 live events annually. The company says the Berlin venue will act as a springboard for expansion to esports hubs around the world.

Dorian Gorr and Thomas Fellger (Image courtesy of VERITAS Entertainment)

AYO.NEWS says:

That is one impressive looking facility, with the dome (and the burger robot) adding more than a touch of sci-fi! Given the popularity of gaming and esports in Germany, and the site’s central location, we wouldn’t be surprised if VERITAS’ visitor estimates turn out to be too low.

Staying with BITKRAFT, a couple of weeks ago we reported the investment fund had welcomed a new partner in the form of former Goldman Sachs vice president and co-head of gaming and esports, Moritz Baier-Lentz.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

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