A proposal for an esports arena in Dundee is causing confusion in the city by registering the company behind it as ‘Dundee Arcadia Ltd’.
This could prove problematic however, as ‘Arcadia’ is already an established brand in the games sector, thanks to the annual Arcadia event created and curated by Biome Collective, since 2017.
It should also be noted that the proposed arena is not the same as the original 4,000 seat dedicated esports arena, which was announced in September 2020 by NLEA, but an entirely new 1,000 seat facility in Slessor Gardens on the city’s waterfront, capable of hosting esports, music and other events.
The Biome team are understandably unhappy with the decision, judging (rightly) that it will cause confusion and is alarming given the tight-knit nature of the games community in Scotland the profile of the festival across the games world.
The team posted a statement on Twitter (X) highlighting the fact they are not involved with the proposed new arena and expressing a wish to speak to the team behind the venue to resolve the issue.
According to The Courier, the company behind the arena were unaware of the festival, but are willing to work with Biome to find a resolution.
Rob Proctor, CEO of Magic Box, the company behind the arena proposal said:
The Arcadia games festival looks absolutely amazing and we look forward to chatting with the folks involved.
As we’ve always said Arcadia is our internal project name for the Dundee creative arena complex, not a definitive name in any way whatsoever.
Maybe there’s a conversation to be had where we could give the Arcadia games festival a permanent home moving forward if they are up for it.
Our aim is to be complimentary and supportive to all of the existing creative enterprises in the city.
“I’d love to chat with the folks from the Biome Collective.”
There is currently no timeline in place for the arena, so it seems as though there is time – and a willingness to talk – which could see the issue resolved in the near future.