About us
The Predator Esports Lounge in Enschede is a gaming facility on the University of Twente. It is the hub for gamers to come together to play on Predator computers, get a drink at the bar or play on a console. The Predator Esports Lounge is completely run by student volunteers! You can enter with a Union Card, Campus Card or pay a €3,- day ticket at entrance. Companies, associations or other big groups can also rent this high-tech location fully and host an event in the lounge.
The Predator Esports Lounge is ran by Stichting Esports Lounge Twente, which is a collaboration between Student Union, Blueshell Esports and Esports Team Twente.
History
2020 - The Start
In January of 2020, right before the Covid-19 pandemic started, the Student Union decided to breathe new life into the old dusty bar in the Bastille at the University of Twente (UT). The dated bar called “De Stek” had to make place for a modern facility where hundreds of students could meet every week.
The Student Union sent out a survey in which students could decide which new purpose the Stek could fulfil, a small squash court and an Italian restaurant being two examples. The overwhelming majority of UT students, however, made it apparent that another purpose was more needed: there was nowhere on the UT for gamers and esporters to come together.
The Student Union was quick to act, contacting the boards of Blueshell Esports and Esports Team Twente. These two game organisations represented the gaming communities on the UT at that time. Both were more than eager to aid in the transformation of the Stek into the Esports Lounge.
The Esports Lounge would become the centre of esports on the UT. A place to host both the research of Esports Team Twente, as well as the community events from Blueshell. The UT would become the first university campus to have facilities for students to train esports on a professional level.
This shared ambition to enrich the campus with gaming facilities paid off. A committee of volunteers was established consisting of members of the Student Union, Blueshell Esports and Esports Team Twente. Designs were made, budgets were checked and greenlit, and a main partner was found: Predator, hence the name: “Predator Esports Lounge”. In 2020 it seemed that the Predator Esports Lounge could be used in the summer of 2021, but alas, it was not to be.
2021 - Setbacks
The team behind the Predator Esports Lounge had to deal with multiple setbacks: the COVID pandemic raged on, building costs got out of hand and some antique parts of the Stek were not allowed to be renovated. Opening in 2021 seemed to be too ambitious of a goal. Yet, while outsiders began to have their doubts about the Predator Esports Lounge, the management of the Predator Esports Lounge kept hope, aiming to realise the Lounge as soon as possible.
An initiative was established to use the Union card for entrance to the lounge. This, together with the contributions of Predator and the Campus & Facility Management UTwente (CFM), rebalanced the budget. In the spring and summer of 2022, the construction of the lounge could finally be kicked off. The construction went well, and in August of 2022, the University of Twente received its newest addition.
2022 - The Opening
The Predator Esports Lounge officially opened on the 15th of October 2022, as a finale of the UT Open Days. At the opening of the Lounge, representatives of the University, Predator, Blueshell Esports and Esports Team Twente gathered, each one of them delighted to see the Predator Esports Lounge finally opening after 2 years of (re)designing and planning.
It was the opening of a hypermodern lounge, a central point for all gamers of the Twente region. The first campus facility where esporters could train and game enthusiasts could gather. Just like soccer players need a soccer field to train properly, esporters need proper equipment to train as a team. The Predator Esports Lounge has become a place where casual and professionals meet, and can either game casually or professionally, or have a drink to talk about gaming or anything else that comes to mind. The Predator Esports Lounge wishes you welcome in this new hub!