Esports Park Community Partners
In addition to supporting Butler student’s and the broader community’s competitive and recreational esports needs, Butler Esports Park is proud to offer space for community partners who support the growth of the burgeoning esports industry.
“Strategic community partners further the vision to become a national model for other higher education institutions on how to incorporate esports and its accompanying technology into a holistic academic and competitive program. This benefits the entire University and surrounding community,” Eric Kammeyer, Butler’s Director of Esports and Gaming Technology.”
Meet our Tenants
Challonge is a software-as-a-service company (SaaS) that allows gamers to run their own tournaments online—streamlining registration, progression, and record keeping—and an application programming interface (API) that can be integrated into websites, games, bots, and other software applications.
Founded in 2009, Challonge was acquired by Logitech in 2019 and operates under the gaming division, Logitech G. Challonge is led by Matt McIntyre, a 2006 Butler University graduate who joined the company in 2018. “Being located in Butler’s new Esports Park is going to create a number of partnership opportunities that will benefit not only Challonge, but also Butler students, faculty, and the Indianapolis community,” McIntyre said. “Butler students will gain real-world experience in the sports technology industry through internships with Challonge. The opportunity to trial our software with students and faculty, as well as through events that are open to the community, is extremely valuable to our company.
Beastcoast, a leading esports organization and gaming content network, will use the Esports Park facilities for competitive training while forging a deeper relationship with the collegiate esports scene in Indianapolis and the Greater Midwest region.
“Having access to Butler’s students can help us with testing and provides us with a talent pipeline for open positions with our company,” said Grant Zinn, Beastcoast co-Founder and CEO. “We plan to host tournaments and other events for the community in Butler’s Esports Park. We may even have employees who want to take classes at Butler, especially as they continue to launch more sports technology and esports programs. The opportunities that could arise from this partnership are almost endless.”
Sports Tech HQ, a nonprofit organization formed in Indiana in June 2022 through a partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, will become a third partner with Butler University’s Esports Park.
The purpose of Sports Tech HQ is to cultivate a sports tech ecosystem that inspires and facilitates innovation while building Indiana’s brand as a sports tech destination of choice.
Sports Tech HQ’s presence at Butler’s Esports Park will include coworking space and collaboration on furthering the development of an elite talent pipeline for the sports tech sector.