Have you heard of Fortress? If you haven’t yet, you will soon. It’s a huge gamers' paradise – but, even if you’re not a gamer, stay with us. There’s a lot going on at Fortress; they cater for everyone from “noobs” and “normies” through to the hardest core gamers.
Fortress – the largest video games and entertainment venue in the Southern Hemisphere – first launched in Melbourne in March 2020 (around the same time that Covid launched, actually!), with a huge queue down the street. The same thing – the queue, not the Covid – is expected to happen when Fortress launches in Sydney on Saturday, April 8, 2023. The Sydney venue, built in Central Park Mall in Chippendale, will be even bigger – it’s set across 2,500 square metres, and has a capacity of 1,000 people.
So what will you find at Fortress Sydney? At the "real gamers" end of the spectrum, there’s a huge e-sports Alienware Arena with mezzanine area for spectators, a high-speed Telstra PC LAN Lounge where Call of Duty fans can get their hit, and even Streamer Pods, where you might spot a YouTuber filming while they’re in town.
The normies will probably feel more comfortable in the Dungeons & Dragons-style Fantasy Tavern, where you can grab food and drinks till the early hours, play non-screen based games like Catan and Jenga, and even book private party booths. There’s a sci-fi-style bar called 2315 – designed to embody what a bar from the year 2315 woud look and feel like. And an Arcade – a good, old-fashioned games arcade, with all the usual suspects, like video motorbike racing and basketball hoops.
For those thinking that no one needs to be enabled to spend even more time on a screen (*eye roll*), think of it this way: this first-of-its-kind Sydney venue actually gets gamers out of the house and socialising IRL. It also helps expand Sydney’s nightlife offerings, giving people things to do after dark beyond going to a pub or club.
At Time Out, we’re all about getting people off their couches and out and about in Sydney – so if this joint helps people do that, we’re here for it.
Fortress CEO and co-founder Jon Satterley says: “We have poured our hearts into every detail to create a venue that’s nothing short of spectacular, and we can’t wait to welcome our customers into the space. With state-of-the-art facilities, including the innovative 2315 bar featuring an interactive AI activation, Fortress Sydney offers an immersive and engaging experience that you won’t find anywhere else.”
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