The GameWorks arcade chain is about to get an esports makeover

That old GameWorks arcade center in the mall in your town will host esports soon. Oomba, an online tournament-management system, has acquired GameWorks from the group of investors that bought the company in 2011. The new ownership plans to refocus the existing GameWorks locations into local miniature esports arenas.

Competitive gaming has grown into a massive force on livestreaming platforms like Twitch, but it hasn’t established itself as a local or regional attraction quite yet. Oomba wants to change that by using the existing GameWorks facilities in cities like Seattle and Denver. As of today, seven GameWorks locations are still in operation, and they are all in the United States. Michael Williams, Oomba chief executive, says that the large arcade venues are ideal for not just esports but VR experiences and “game nights” as well. The Las Vegas location has even already introduced a massive LAN room with connected PC computers for esports tournaments.