Esports is growing rapidly, which means a need for arenas is urgent. Some companies have already taken the cue and built large facilities meant to house the likes of Overwatch, CoD, and League of Legends. Others have smartly thought about cultivating local scene, like Ubisoft in Canada or, oddly enough, Five Below. Yes, the not-quite-a dollar store is working on in-store esports facilities. HyperX, meanwhile, had a wildly different idea. Why not build 18-wheelers that transform into esports arenas?
HyperX and Allied Esports have two such trucks, called simply the HyperX Esports Trucks. The first got its start in Germany back in 2016, while the second took its maiden voyage in 2018 in Las Vegas. Now they tour Europe and North America to attend gaming events and host tournaments of their own.
The HyperX Esports Trucks are 80-feet long and weigh 35 tons. When they park at an event, they extend to make a stage suitable for gaming tournaments. There's even a booth for casters and a behind-the-scenes area for the production crew. To top it off (literally) there's even a rooftop lounge.
Both HyperX trucks are currently touring their respective regions. The American truck was at Post Malone’s annual Posty Fest (yes that's a thing), where it hosted what had to be one of the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare tournaments. This weekend the truck will take part in the Simon Cup, an amateur Fortnite competition. The truck will serve as the battleground for the first round of the tournament, and winners will be invited to finish the fight at the HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas.
The European truck has also been busy. It recently hosted a PUBG competition at MCM Comic Con London. The prize? A 550-pound, 45-mile-per-hour top speed, street-legal Mountain Dew-branded beach buggy. We imagine the winner immediately retired from esports after, knowing no prize could ever be as epic.
Esports has a bright future ahead of it. The upcoming Call of Duty League will only cement the idea of esports growing into a traditional sports league. As that happens, there will be more incentive to find the next generation of pros. What better way to show that anyone can compete than a fleet of trucks stopping at local conventions and offering Mountain Dew cars as prizes? HyperX and Allied Esports are onto something here, and we'll probably be seeing a lot more of these trucks in the near future.
Hopeful competitors can track the trucks' movement on their Twitter.
Source: Allied Esports