Esports Arena at ISE 2025
From afar, you’d be forgiven for raising an eyebrow at the presence of an esports attraction at ISE 2025. Alas, we’ve seen them before at other trade shows where they have provided light relief from the full-on technical showcases being demonstrated around the main show floors.
The Esports Arena at ISE, however, was no gimmick. This was a genuine, working live event set-up complete with staging, rigging, tiered audience seating, lighting, AV systems and live production equipment, crew, and workflows representative of what you’d find at a real-life esports event. And this was a real-life esports event, with an informative twist.
Over the four days of the show, several tournaments featuring pro esports teams were played out, interspersed with AV technical showcases, panel discussions, and arena tours that guided audience members through the myriad systems that go into bringing these productions to life. If you had been raising an eyebrow from afar, then a visit to the arena at ISE would have provided all the context you’d need to understand the burgeoning relationship between pro AV and esports.
More than a game
One of the most appealing factors with esports is that it is still in a stage of adolescence with a sizeable growth potential. Recent estimates from research firm Technavio suggest that the global esports market is forecast to grow by US$3.47 billion at a CAGR of 20.5 percent between 2023 and 2028, pitching the current market value at somewhere around the $3bn mark. It views the “surge in live streaming” as a principal market driver, with significant gaming investments in streaming platforms and production infrastructure building greater engagement with the genre’s growing and substantial online viewership.
AV’s role in this growth has been critical, from both a staging and broadcast perspective. “AV systems and technology are core elements of esports. All advancements on those fronts in the last 15 years have been critical for the transformation of esports from a player-only activity to an audience-focused show business,” explains Gerard Sinfreu, co-founder and director of strategic partnerships at LVP. Part of GRUP MEDIAPRO, LVP is one of the world’s largest esports operators and produced this year’s Esports Arena in partnership with ISE, and integration partner SONO.
“The current status of esports couldn’t be possible without more affordable broadcast equipment, digital solutions that can be integrated with legacy equipment, the proliferation of online broadcasting, remote production, cloud-based systems, and the continuous evolution of AV systems for events.”
That fusion of staging and broadcast technology was on full display during ISE. According to Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events, there were a few reasons behind hosting the Esports Arena at this year’s show. “We wanted to create a spectacle that would draw crowds into our new Hall 8.1. We wanted to highlight this increasingly significant and exciting area for the AV and systems integration industry, which draws on both live events and broadcast technologies. And as well as offering a top-level esports experience, we wanted to show our professional audience how it’s done. It was very much about informing as well as entertaining.”
“We were very fortunate to be working with LVP and to have the support of Barcelona City Council in creating this landmark attraction,” he says. “We’ve already started looking at how we can build on this success at ISE 2026.”
Milestone moment
The world’s leading systems integration and audiovisual trade show is certainly taking esports seriously, but why now and what significance does this have for the esports industry?
Sam Cooke is chief business development officer at UNEVN, which creates gaming set-ups specifically for esports players. “A show like ISE properly embracing esports speaks volumes. Esports offers a fascinating challenge for AV and production in the live events environment: bringing something to life in an arena that is being played out competitively on a screen, isn’t easy,” he says.
Indeed, Cooke touches on an interesting point in that the complexities of producing an esports event will be very different from most productions that the AV world is used to. The commonalities and contrasts between esports and traditional sports production, for example, was a major theme during the Esports Arena, where companies such as Dorna and MEDIAPRO discussed the approaches taken in both areas.
For Sinfreu and LVP, the opportunity to partner with ISE is very important. “It is of great significance. As a truly integrated systems-native sector, we are proud to be able to share space with the forefront of the industry.”
James Fraser-Murison, director at Fraser Esports, says that ISE’s recognition of esports as a key component of AV and live events is a huge milestone. “It demonstrates that esports is no longer a niche industry but a major player in global entertainment, requiring cutting-edge AV solutions,” he says.
“Esports production demands the latest in AV technology, from high-end displays and audio systems to real-time streaming solutions. A dedicated showcase at ISE fosters further advancements in these areas, and by aligning with traditional live events and broadcasting industries, esports can gain credibility and more structured professional standards.”
He also points to an opportunity for broader industry collaboration, where AV professionals can engage directly with esports organisations, content creators, and educators, creating new opportunities for partnerships and technology-driven growth.
“The more awareness and understanding there is of esports across all the different stakeholders in the pro AV world, the better, as it will lead to new ideas and new innovations. ISE can continue to play a truly significant role in this going forward.”
Indeed, one only need look at the technology providers represented within the Esports Arena production workflow to understand just how many AV and broadcast companies (and ISE Exhibitors) are already focussing on the esports opportunity: Blackmagic Design, Yamaha, Clear-Com, Riedel, Panasonic, Lawo, SONO, Shure, L’Acoustics, Unilumi, NovaStar, YesTech, AVTECH, Robe, and ChamSys to name but a few.
More integration
With esports seemingly set to become an established part of ISE’s show floor features going forward, and with interest in the genre continuing to grow, just what sort of future can an AV-enabled esports industry look forward to?
Both Cooke and Fraser-Murison point to more immersive experiences via the use of AR and VR, and further integration of technologies such as projection mapping, LED walls, and immersive audio systems.
For Sinfreu, it’s about personalisation. “We think that the future is bringing a more tailor-made experience to the users,” he explains. “Providing more options so they can find the one that fits their lifestyle, their preferred tone and their most convenient way of consumption. And once again this will only be possible with the latest innovations in AV systems and technology.”
Also of intrigue will be how developments in esports production techniques and formats filter across into traditional sports and events production. For example, a recent PlayStation Tournaments: XP live final in London offered an alternative game-show style format which saw teams compete against each other across four different games on 12 custom made PS5 set-ups on a circular stage, with coverage live streamed to PlayStation’s official Twitch and YouTube channels. In addition to the host broadcast feed, five Twitch content creators co-streamed the action using slimmed down production workflows, each with a dedicated three-person crew, to provide alternative coverage to their channels.
As the battle for the eyes and ears of younger, non-linear generations of consumers intensifies, traditional broadcasters may have to borrow more heavily from such innovative practices being deployed in the gaming and esports world. The discussions at the Esports Arena certainly foresaw a cross pollination of production techniques and technologies stretching into the future.
Social impact
That collaborative relationship will be instrumental in enabling the type of growth being forecast for esports. “Globally, we are a long way from reaching a ceiling in terms of esports fandom,” explains Cooke. “When we reach that point of saturation in awareness and understanding, I believe we’ll be in a very different place to where we are currently.”
And with that broader market growth, both Cooke and Fraser-Murison believe that esports has the potential to be a force for good from a careers, education, and social standpoint. “In terms of social impact, esports has enormous potential,” continues Cooke. “At its core, it’s a level playing field, and there’s something amazing about that in a competitive environment.
“There are real-world examples of social impact taking place right now. You only need to look at what KRED Norge is doing in Norway and Esports Youth Club is doing in the UK to look at the real positives that esports initiatives can have on local communities.”
Cooke and Fraser-Murison have recently launched Community Care Gaming which uses esports, VR and gaming to tackle loneliness and social isolation, dementia, and to support stroke recovery. “There are countless opportunities to use gaming and esports for the betterment of people’s lives and to have lasting social impact,” says Cooke, who was part of the ‘AV Esports – It’s in the Game’ panel at ISE which explored the relationship between the two sectors.
Fraser-Murison was part of the ‘Careers Opportunities’ panel that looked into the current landscape for young talent, and the pathways into both esports and the live events and broadcasting sectors. And he contends that the future is bright in both areas. “Esports is no longer just about playing games professionally,” he says. “Roles in AV production, content creation, event management, coaching, and technology development are all growing. What we’re doing [at Fraser Esports] in schools and colleges is helping to introduce young people to these career paths early, particularly with the help of ASDAN and BTEC programmes.”
And the opportunity before both the AV and esports worlds is that deeper collaboration will create a powerful and sustainable new ecosystem for future talent development, while the evolving technology landscape in both areas will continue to create opportunities for mutual growth.
The Esports Arena at ISE 2025 could very well prove the starting point for a more formal meeting of minds and techniques between the pro AV and esports communities. And going by the discussions across the four days of the show, it’s a huge opportunity for both areas.
