Anonymous $1M gift to support Butler Esports Park

Butler University has received an anonymous $1 million gift that will support construction of its Esports Park. The 7,500-square-foot esports and educational technology facility is expected to open in August.

Butler says the project will provide a dedicated on-campus space for students to connect through competitive and recreational gaming. The facility will feature about 50 gaming PCs, as well as an area of gaming consoles and virtual reality.

“The Esports Park was designed with the goal of providing the University and Central Indiana with an esports and technology hub, applying Butler’s signature level of excellence to an emerging area of academic and corporate interest,” said Eric Kammeyer, Butler’s director of esports and gaming technology. “Our goal is to build a diverse and inclusive esports program partnered with a state-of-the-art facility. Strategic community partners further the vision to become a national model for other higher education institutions on how to incorporate esports and its accompanying technology into a holistic academic and competitive program.”

Already a billion-dollar industry, esports is projected to become a $4.8 billion industry by 2030.

The facility is also expected to include space for corporate training events, as well as youth STEM and esports camps. The university says the facility will also offer broadcast production capabilities for live events such as podcasts and esports competitions, a coworking space, cafe, and leasable offices.

Construction on the facility began last year.