Thai Cinema Operator Partners With Dell on World’s First eSports Theatre

The cinema operator has converted its fourth movie theatre at Esplanade Cineplex Ratchada into the “Dell Gaming eSports Cinema” to boost the fast-emerging industry in Thailand.

Narute Jiensnong, chief marketing officer of Major Cineplex Group, said the move aligns with the company’s strategy to cater to Thailand’s growing market for Electronic Sports competition, which is estimated to grow 12 per cent annually to almost US$303k in market value this year. There are about 2 million gamers in Thailand.

“The target customers of our theatre are a new generation, those aged between 12 and 35, same as those of moviegoers. We want to go beyond just ordinary theatres. The launch of an eSports theatre will help Major Cineplex to expand its revenue as well as customer base,” he said.

Dell Corporation, a world leading manufacturer of computer equipment for gamers, has become the main sponsor for the new theatre. Besides Dell, the likes of Intel, Neolution and True Online are also backing the property. The collaboration is a boost for eSports as it becomes a mainstream entity and will also encourage gamers to utilise the theatre for practice sessions and later international stage competition.

“The decision by Major Cineplex Group to convert a movie theatre at its Esplanade Cineplex Ratchada into a new eSports theatre is indicative of the exceptional growth we’ve seen in Electronic Sports in recent years,” says Paul Poole, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Paul Poole (South East Asia). “Furthermore, it shows that eSports are becoming more mainstream and we can expect to see even greater penetration into so-called traditional entertainment industries in the years to come.”

With governmental support, the registration of eSports as an official sport has been approved and it is likely to be included as a new sport in the Asian Games and the Olympics in the near future.