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Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Imane “Pokimane” Anys are watched by thousands on Twitch, but at this October’s Metarama Gaming + Music Festival in Las Vegas, fans will be able to see those popular streamers and others in person—or perhaps even compete against them.
That’s the intended hook of the inaugural Metarama Gaming + Music Festival, which will be held at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on Oct. 19-20. It was created in collaboration between C3 Presents—the festival producer behind Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits (the event inspired by the long-running, weekly PBS TV show)—and Las Vegas’ own Esports Hospitality Concepts. As the festival’s name suggests, however, Metarama is about more than just seeing streamers in the flesh, according to its organizers: it’s also about watching bands, viewing professional esports battles, and the convergence between all of those things.
“It’s about culture. Look, it’s about the experience,” said Esports Hospitality Concepts co-founder Seth Schorr in an interview with The Esports Observer, following this week’s lineup announcement. He said that while traditional sporting events have an established track record of drawing fans to sit in seats and watch events, he believes that fans of esports and streaming want a more interactive, varied, choose-your-own-entertainment approach.
“It’s that interactivity that really differentiates this type of festival from a typical music festival.”
“What we’re seeing in the entertainment business, in the hospitality business, is that people want more. They want an immersive experience. They want it to be dynamic,” he said. “It’s just a more fun, exciting, and interesting way to watch your favorite professionals play, then get to go play yourself, and then get to go watch music artists. It’s a circus environment, is the way I like to think about it—moving around, not being stuck in an arena in your seat.”
With a lineup that also includes streamers such as Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, Rogue’s 
Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo, and 100 Thieves’ Jack “CouRage” Dunlop and Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter, Metarama will feature streamers in a variety of ways. Some will compete against celebrities, with the likes of former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and rock band Imagine Dragons appearing. Others will play against their fans, and Metarama will have a number of tournaments available—some that will require online qualifiers before the weekend of the event, and others that attendees can drop into.
Credit: Metarama
“It’s that interactivity that really differentiates this type of festival from a typical music festival, where for the most part, you’re just there to watch,” said Schorr. “I think that’s one of the exciting things. Look, it’s even exciting that some of our top-tier talent are actually playing. Seeing Imagine Dragons play League of Legends
Attendees will also be able to see four of the Overwatch League teams in action, with exhibition matches planned between the Philadelphia Fusion and Seoul Dynasty , and the San Francisco Shock and Guangzhou Charge . There will also be a League of Legends “Pros vs. Joes” competition, although that event has not yet been detailed.
“As big as esports and gaming culture is, I think it’s still important to grow and to have that crossover.”
Metarama is also a concert festival, of course—and while Rogue co-owners Imagine Dragons won’t actually perform (they’re just there to play games), the lineup has a number of musicians with notable gaming and/or esports ties. Marshmello, a DJ and electronic music producer, is the top-billed performer. He’s the musician who performed a concert within Fortnite in February, plus he competed in and won the Fortnite Pro-Am 2018 tournament with Ninja.
Related Article: Fortnite’s Marshmello Concert: More Than a Publicity Stunt
Veteran rapper Snoop Dogg has his own esports league, the Gangsta Gaming League, while rapper Logic has streamed with Ninja and reviewed videogames on his YouTube channel. DJ Alan Walker did a collaboration with PUBG Mobile for its one-year anniversary this year, and rapper Lil Yachty is a member of FaZe Clan and recently led a team in the Twitch Rivals x Rainbow Six Siege Celebrity Showdown during E3. Putting streamers, pro players, and musicians on the same marquee offers all involved an opportunity to potentially hook new kinds of fans.
“As big as esports and gaming culture is, I think it’s still important to grow and to have that crossover. Some people may come for the music and be introduced to gaming in a way that they didn’t know before,” said Schorr. “I always felt that there was going to be room for this massive festival that was for a broad audience, that really brought gaming culture—mixed with music and all sorts of exciting things that are relevant and that complement gaming culture— into the mainstream.”
Credit: Metarama
Why Vegas?
Rogue—which Schorr was an original investor in and advisor of, and which is based in Las Vegas—won’t have an official presence at the festival, but the team has been advising Metarama’s organizers, as have other esports players and team owners. Schorr also said that they have been in discussions with both endemic and non-endemic sponsors about the event, but that no partners could be announced just yet.
Schorr called Las Vegas “the perfect backdrop” for an event like Metarama, and pointed to the city’s growing esports presence. That includes Allied Esports’ HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, the annual Evo fighting game tournament, and efforts by casinos to host events and integrate esports into their entertainment offerings. Schorr has helped lead the charge to promote esports in Las Vegas. His Fifth Street Gaming company owns the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino, which hosts esports viewing parties and local tournaments, plus he is the director of the nonprofit Nevada Esports Alliance. He believes that all local stakeholders are committed to working together to advance the ecosystem, and that Metarama can boost that effort.
To me, there’s just no better city to have Metarama, and I just know it’s going to be an amazing event.”
“We’ve collectively been working on a slow-and-steady approach,” said Schorr. “Nobody thinks that everything is gonna happen overnight, although if you look at the laundry list of things that have happened in Vegas, I’d argue that it’s pretty darn impressive. To me, there’s just no better city to have Metarama, and I just know it’s going to be an amazing event.”
And considering the Vegas backdrop, Metarama could potentially have a betting element. That is not yet confirmed, as Schorr and team are still discussing with the Nevada Gaming Control Board. However, Fifth Street Gaming was the first regulated North American gaming licensee approved to take in wages on esports events, as it did with past League of Legends and other events—so there’s already precedent.
“It is a process to work with the Gaming Control Board to get that approved, so we’ll see. It’s a nice-to-have, not a must-have,” he said of featuring betting at Metarama. “It’s important to me that esports is a part of the conversation, as the United States has now embraced sports betting on a national scale.”
