Gamers will soon have a space to escape to a virtual world for a bit at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, now that the Metropolitan Airports Commission has approved a lease for the company Gameway Inc. to build a new lounge in the airport.
The lounge, first reported by Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, received final approval on Monday for a 10-year lease in concourse D. It's expected to be open in January 2025.
Gameway specializes in offering video gaming hubs in airports, and has lounges open at airports in Los Angeles, Charlotte, Dallas and Houston.
The space is about 3,000 square feet, and would include cushioned seating for casual gaming, competitive e-sports gaming, virtual reality consoles, "privacy business pods" and high-speed internet, according to the proposal laid out on Oct. 7.
The Airports Commission had also considered awarding the space to another company, Gate Escape, but instead went with Gameway, said Anne Saxton, the commission's interim director of concessions and business development, at the Oct. 7 meeting. Gameway is based in Tigard, Ore.