A new, 15,000-square-foot arcade will move into a downtown Orlando high-rise apartment complex that is currently being constructed, marking the second large-scale arcade to announce plans to expand in the area over the past month.
Real estate firm JLL announced last week that Velocity Esports will open a new arcade game and lounge at Society Orlando, a residential high rise that is currently under construction at 434 N Orange Avenue.
“As part of Velocity Esports’ expansion strategy into Florida, Orlando was the perfect choice with its growing residential population and the opportunity to capitalize on the more than 74 million annual visitors to the region,” said Phillip N. Kaplan, executive chairman of Velocity Esports.
Scheduled to open later this year, Society Orlando will offer over 900 residential units and a variety of amenities, including a jumbo pool, communal dining hall, and fitness center, among others.
“Society Orlando is one of the largest multifamily projects under development in Downtown Orlando today, providing Velocity Esports with a live-in customer base and continued foot traffic thanks to the building’s central location,” said JLL senior associate Carey Jaffee.
Velocity Esports currently operates locations in Las Vegas, Nevada and Cincinnati, Ohio, with another location planned for Schaumberg, Illinois. The locations offer a wide selection of arcade games and social gaming environments, and also host esports tournaments and other video gaming competitions.
The Velocity Esports announcement comes just weeks after Arcade Monsters announced that it is in the midst of constructing its fifth location in the state of Florida. The company told Orlando-News.com that the new, 15,000-square-foot location along International Drive hopes to open later this summer and will be “one of, if not the largest, arcade bars in the United States.”