网易暴雪游戏电竞馆

The NetEase-Blizzard Esports Arena is at the western end of the sunken B2 plaza in the north block of MTR City Plaza, 818 Zhenbei Road, Putuo District, at the junction of Zhenbei Road and Jinshajiang Road and directly above Zhenbei Road station on Metro Line 13. Built through the NetEase-Blizzard partnership and already in use by 2017, it is a broadcast studio of more than 700 square metres rather than a conventional net bar or sports hall. It was designed for professional events, live streaming and content recording around Blizzard titles, and hosted Gold League competitions for Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft II and Hearthstone. The stage, commentary desks, production positions and spectator area are arranged for studio use; entry is free on match days, and advance booking is advised because seating is limited. Its location on the lower ground floor of a shopping centre, alongside cafes, fast-food outlets and shops, lets spectators combine a shopping or dining trip with watching a match. This 'mall plus esports studio' pairing is the venue's defining feature. In September 2020 it was rated a Class C venue in Shanghai's first esports venue grading, one of the venues recognised in Putuo District. The NetEase-Blizzard licensing agreement expired in January 2023 and Blizzard games temporarily ceased operation in mainland China, after which the Blizzard event content the arena was built around came to an end. It is still cited as an early example of how esports space can use retail footfall to lower the threshold for live spectators. Multiple exits from Zhenbei Road station on Line 13 lead directly into MTR City Plaza, and bus stops on Zhenbei Road and Jinshajiang Road are nearby.