Uni of Suffolk invests £ 1.65 million in new esports facility
22 April 2025
It won’t be long now before the University of Suffolk joins the growing list of universities and institutes with their own esports facilities in the United Kingdom. Just a few weeks ago, for example, the city of Plymouth opened the brand-new Babcock Esports Arena and now we’ve gotten a first look at the state-of-the-art esports facility that is being created by the University of Suffolk as we speak. With an investment of no less than £ 1.65 million, one of the major investments in esports in the UK in the past years, the university is turning a vacant lot on their Ipswich campus into a space entirely dedicated to esports.
Building on new esports course
The new esports building at the University of Suffolk will serve a combination of teaching and recreational purposes. It is located in a building along Long Street at the University’s Ipswich campus, which is currently undergoing a large-scale renovation. With the help of £ 1.65 million of investment, the building will be turned into a dedicated esports space with more than forty top-class gaming PCs, a state-of-the-art live studio (for broadcasting and livestreaming) and a professionally set up broadcast gallery.
The new esports facility is not a project on itself, though. Last year, the University of Suffolk announced a new undergraduate degree in esports, officially titled BA (Hons) Esports. The course will present a broad approach to the esports industry as a whole, from training gaming skills and game design to event management and livestreaming. It was developed in collaboration with industry experts from the university’s School of Technology, Business and Arts, and the inaugural year will be launched in September of this year. By then, the new esports facility at Long Street should be ready for use as well.
“We’ve already had lots of interest in our brand new Esports course launching this September, and the £1.65 million facility will be a real draw for students to join our programme”, says Charlie Smith, Course Leader for the esports course at the University of Suffolk, “With more than 40 gaming PCs, live-streaming facilities and a broadcast gallery, our learners will benefit from industry-standard technology to bolster their experience before they even graduate into the industry.”
Broad approach to esports in the UK
Just like the University of Suffolk’s new esports course focuses on the esports industry as a whole, the new esports facility was designed with this broad approach in mind as well. Apart from actual gaming and training skills, the facilities also allow practical training in other areas. These include the management of events, the setting up of livestreams and broadcasts, and the development of relevant marketing skills. On top of that, there will also be a focus on esports team management in terms of leadership and the study of team dynamics.
“These skills are really important for thriving in such a fast-paced and evolving industry, and by equipping our students with as broad a range of strengths as possible”, explains Smith, “Our course will give students the best experience possible of thriving in the industry.”