Butler announces first esports park tenant
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Butler University has announced Challonge will be the first tenant at its new Esports Park when it opens next month. Challonge is a software-as-a-service company owned by California-based Logitech (Nasdaq: LOGI).
Challonge was founded in 2009 and is led by Matt McIntyre, a 2006 Butler graduate who joined the company in 2018. Butler says Challonge, which currently employs 13 people, has been operating out of a temporary space on campus for the past year.
“Being located in Butler’s new Esports Park is going to create a number of partnership opportunities that will benefit not only Challonge, but also Butler students, faculty and the Indianapolis community,” McIntyre said. “Butler students will gain real-world experience in the sports technology industry through internships with Challonge. The opportunity to trial our software with students and faculty, as well as through events that are open to the community, is extremely valuable to our company.”
Challonge’s SaaS allows gamers to run their own tournaments online—streamlining registration, progression, and record keeping—and an application programming interface that can be integrated into websites, games, bots and other software applications.
“Indianapolis is quickly becoming a hub for the sportstech industry with the collaboration of the city’s sports franchises, government agencies, education and technology sectors, as well as the growth of venture capital investment,” said Eric Kammeyer, Butler University’s director of esports and gaming technology. “The Esports and Gaming market alone is expected to be a $4.75 billion industry by 2030. Through strategic partnerships, our state-of-the-art facility, and curricular and co-curricular programs, Butler University is positioning itself to be a leader in preparing students for careers related to sports technology. Challonge and Logitech bring a lot of resources to the table, and the Butler community will directly benefit from their presence on our campus.”
Last year, Butler began construction on the dedicated esports and gaming facility, which will feature high-performance gaming PC’s and consoles, event and coworking spaces, a cafe, office areas, and a studio and production room. Last month, Butler received a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor for construction of its Esports Park.