RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Thousands of people are expected at Lenovo Center this weekend for RLCS Raleigh Major, an esports tournament featuring some of the best Rocket League players from across the globe.
“I think we have positioned Raleigh as an esports hub,” said Lorren Gold, Executive Vice President of Visit Raleigh.
16 teams of three players are each began playing on Thursday, with matches open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. Teams are competing for the chance to qualify for the RLCS World Championship in Lyon, France in September.
“Being able to participate, it’s a great feeling, it takes a lot of work back home to qualify for this event,” said Lachlan Gordon, a player for TSM who came to Raleigh from Australia.
“I’ve been to America a few times, but North Carolina’s the second place on the east coast, I mean I’ve been to Boston, but it seems pretty nice, a lot of oak trees I’ve noticed as well, it’s very beautiful,” he said.
Rocket League, developed by Psyonix, whose parent company is Cary-based Epic Games, sees players face off in a soccer-style game using cars.
This tournament is the third major esports event in the Triangle so far this year, with the Raleigh Convention Center and NC State hosting others in the spring.
“We figured we better get in this space and really kind of connect the dots for the ecosystem that’s here,” Gold said.
Gold says the event is expected to bring in around $5 million in direct economic impact.
“We on average are looking at about 70% of the fanbase that comes to the event from coming out of market, whether it’s a day trip and they drive two hours to the event, come to the event and leave, and/or they stay overnight in a hotel room.”
With big plans for future expansion and development at Lenovo Center and the Convention Center, Visit Raleigh is hoping to continue attracting events like this in the future.
