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Bathed in blue and red lighting while seated onstage at high-end PCs, celebrity gamers are immersed in “Fortnite,” a popular online video game. Their every move is captured on video feeds being watched by fans as the action is described by announcers in a broadcast booth.
If it sounds a little like a pro sporting event, that’s because it is. The gamers are competitors in a two-day tournament — with $30,000 up for grabs — at ESIX Gaming powered by Coca-Cola. It’s a first-of-its-kind facility and one the operators of Six Flags Fiesta Texas hope will give youthful visitors and their families a new reason to visit and stay longer at the park.
It was working that way during the recent tournament. In front of the stage, young people wearing headsets at rows of computers were also playing “Fortnite.” As they navigated the game and discussed strategies with friends, family members were a few feet away munching on snacks, charging phones and browsing gaming equipment and clothes for sale by Six Flags.
RELATED: ‘Cutting-edge gaming arena’ to open at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
San Antonio Spurs player Tre Jones — a gaming fan who had a spot on stage with the pros — appeared to be as excited to be there as a Spurs fan might be to sit courtside at a basketball game.
“I watch a lot of them,” he said of the pro gamers. “To play with them was a dream come true.”
Other fans got a chance to meet the pros during breaks in the tournament, when star gamers known by stage names such as as Bugha, Sommerset, Kaz and Zemie mingled and posed for photos.
Robin Jerstad
Robin Jerstad
Robin Jerstad
Players from across the country watch their screens during E6’s recent gaming tournament at Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ new e-gaming facility. Kyle Rapozo, (bottom right) better known in gaming circles as Kazify, was one of those players vying for a piece of the $30,000 in prize money.
Why gaming?
Housing what Fiesta Texas’ operators say is the latest high-tech equipment available, ESIX Gaming is part of a push by the theme park to offer entertainment and attractions for all ages — and to boost attendance after a sharp pandemic-era drop.
The park’s so-called gaming campus features a 1,601-seat theater that can accommodate large tournaments and includes 50 PC stations for competitors that cost upwards of $5,000 each, said Jeffrey Siebert, park president of Fiesta Texas. There are also consoles, professional controllers and equipment for livestreaming.
As gaming was growing in popularity over the past several years, Siebert said, Six Flags Entertainment Corp. designers have long eyed such a facility. The idea became reality as company leaders have begun focusing on investing in more “multigenerational” options for visitors, Siebert said. That includes adding rotating rides and roller coasters, upgrading existing rides and installing more seating throughout parks.
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ESIX Gaming powered by Coca-Cola, a new electronic gaming facility at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, includes PC stations, controllers and other equipment.
Robin Jerstad
RELATED: Fiesta Texas adds racing coaster, esports arena as it and other parks seek pre-pandemic attendance
The idea is that parents can go on rides with their young children while their older ones play at ESIX Gaming and grandparents relax in the lounge. Then they can have dinner and watch Six Flags’ fireworks and drone show, staying longer and spending more money while inside the park’s gates.
“It keeps the whole family together, and it’s something for everyone in the family to do,” Siebert said.
Six Flags partnered with Coca-Cola — the soft drink company is keen on marketing to gamers — and worked with Roadrunner Gaming, a student organization at the University of Texas at San Antonio, to get input on the facility and hire employees. Six Flags opened ESIX Gaming over Memorial Day weekend. Since then, the theme park company has begun rolling out smaller gaming hubs at several other parks.
‘Bugha’ likes it
ESIX hosted its first gaming competition at Fiesta Texas in late August, a one-day event Siebert said sold out every seat in the house. The larger “Fortnite” tournament didn’t sell out. More such events are in the works for this year and next.
Pro gamer Bugha — whose real name is Kyle Giersdorf — said ESIX tops most other facilities where he’s played. It has more stations, he said, and the setups on stage are roomier.
“It was super nice,” Giersdorf said.
Outside of events, pricing to use the facility on any days depends on whether visitors sit in the general section or on stage, whether they livestream their play, and how long they want to play. Rates range from $10 to $14 for one hour, $15 to $19 for two hours, $25 to $30 for three hours, $30 to $35 for four hours, and $40 to $50 for the whole day, according to Six Flags’ pricing information.
The idea is to offer a higher level of gaming equipment than most people have access to on their own — and the other bells and whistles that attract families.
“There is no way many folks can afford that level of PC in their home, so they’re able to come and experience that level of technology,” Siebert said. “We’ve seen a cadence of regulars that are coming in. You can play with your friends online anywhere in the world, all together, and they have an advantage because they’re on the fastest PCs.”
Robin Jerstad
Robin Jerstad
Kyle Giersdorf, (right) better known as Bugha in gaming circle, watches his screen during an E6 gaming tournament in a new e-gaming facility recently completed at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Bugha has more than 5 million instagram followers. Kayla Sommerset (left) intently watches her screen during E6 tournament. There was more than $30,000 in prize money for the event.
Next: Mexico City
The ESIX hub is a prototype, and the company plans to open another one at Six Flags México, Siebert said. The company debuted the concept in San Antonio because the market is not saturated with competing facilities, other attractions have been tested at Fiesta Texas, and the city is growing, he said.
Six Flags could also be experimenting with such facilities as the company seeks to draw visitors back.
About 20.4 million people visited the company’s parks in 2022, down 26% from 2021. Revenue slid 9%, profit fell 16%, and earnings per share decreased 14% during the same period.
Those declines came as CEO Selim Bassoul raised prices, ended an unlimited meal plan and put off opening a spate of new rides. His approach, he said at the time, was to attract a different demographic than theme parks typically had, visitors who would spend more time and money inside the turnstiles.
Bassoul later changed course, bringing back a dining pass option, investing in shaded seating and other infrastructure at parks, and announcing new rides. Attendance during the first six months of this year was up 4% from the same period in 2022, according to Six Flags’ most recent reported financial results.
“They’ve lost two years of impetus and growth,” said Dennis Speigel, founder and CEO of consulting firm International Theme Park Services. “We’re seeing right now where they’re announcing every week, ‘We’re going to be putting new rides and attractions in the parks.’ They’re playing catch-up.”
It’s too early to tell whether Six Flags’ foray into gaming will be successful, he said. The company is the first major theme park operator he is aware of to try the concept.
“I think it’s an admirable attempt to explore a new entertainment segment,” he said.
But, he added, “The jury is still out.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25006793/IMG_3844.jpeg "The Portland Retro Gaming Expo aids keep the classics alive")
