Over 40k fans to attend 'Super Bowl of Gaming' at Moody Center this weekend

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tens of thousands of people are expected to descend upon the Moody Center this weekend for an event known as the “Super Bowl of Gaming.” But why is it happening in Austin?

One reason could be that Texas is one of the best states in the country for gamers. A study released this month from GamblingSites.com ranked Texas as the second-best state for gamers.

The website created the Gamers Paradise Index Score, which ranks states on factors like internet speed, gaming conventions, esports pros, streamers and gaming-related search interest.

According to the study, one reason Texas ranked high is that the state holds 19 gaming conventions. The event at the Moody Center this weekend, though, is expected to be one of the largest esports events ever hosted in the United States, according to a press release from the platform behind the event, BLAST.tv.

The BLAST.tv Austin Major started on June 3 in Austin, and sold-out playoffs kicked off Thursday and will run through Sunday.

BLAST Premier is a worldwide Counter-Strike tournament series where the “best teams and biggest superstars” compete for a $1.25 million prize pool, according to BLAST’s website. Counter-Strike is a multiplayer, first-person shooter game played across the world.

Thirty-two of the world’s top Counter-Strike teams came to Austin to compete in the Major this month. Two were from Texas: Complexity Gaming, from Frisco, and Wildcard, based out of Houston. Neither made it to the Moody for playoff rounds.

Only eight teams made it to the playoff rounds, which kick off with the quarter-finals on Thursday.

The event, known as the “Super Bowl of Gaming,” will see more than 40,000 people attending in person and millions watching online. It has an estimated direct economic impact of over $30 million. The Austin Sports Commission, Live Nation, and C3 Presents partnered with BLAST.tv to put on the event, which sold out in less than six hours, per BLAST.tv.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is even declaring June 22 as the official “BLAST.tv Austin Major” day on Sunday, according to BLAST.tv.

“Austin is the perfect place to showcase the esports industry and the technology at the heart of the competition,” Watson said in a press release announcing the event last year.

Growth of esports

Esports has been growing in popularity in recent years.

According to Business Fortune Insider, the global esports market size was valued at $560.6 million in 2024. The market is projected to grow from $649.4 million in 2025 to $2,070.8 million by 2032.

In October 2023, the University of Texas at Austin jumped into the esports competitive world with the launch of an esports arena on campus.

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