London-based esports organisation have today unveiled a brand new esports performance facility in Berlin, in partnership with German motoring manufacturer BMW.
Fnatic say the BMW x Fnatic Esports Performance Facility will ‘feature an array of solutions designed to cater to the needs of esports professionals competing at the highest level, and set a new standard for European esports training centres’.
The facility will be used extensively by the Fnatic League of Legends team as they compete in the upcoming LEC Summer 2022 Season, which kicks off on June 17th.
The training centre has the following:
- Ultra-fast broadband with top range internal networking systems
- In-house gym
- Kitchen with appliances supplied by Hisense
- Changing rooms
- A relaxation and recreation area
- Two gaming performance rooms
- Content studio
- Match review room
- BMW sim racing rig
- Office space
The BMW x Fnatic Esports Performance Facility supports Fnatic’s wider esports performance strategy, which is based on eight performance pillars. These include health, research, technology and software, in-game performance, processes and operations, youth structure, infrastructure and education.
The ambition of the unit is to consistently improve the capabilities of Fnatic players by making marginal performance gains and improving results, starting with the Fnatic League of Legends team based in Berlin.
Jens Hofer, Director of Fnatic’s High Performance Unit, said: “The BMW x Fnatic Esports Performance Facility has been specifically designed to support our League of Legends players as they strive for excellence in the upcoming LEC Summer Season.
“We’re so excited to finally be opening the unit alongside BMW and setting a new standard for esports facilities in Europe. This facility is another step forward for our HPU as we plan our return to the top of European League of Legends.”
Fnatic’s League of Legends Team Director Javier ‘Dardo’ Zafra added: “It is crucial to be able to offer our players a great 360 degree experience that covers all their needs.
“This facility, combined with the right staff in all meaningful areas like sport psychology and performance, in-game knowledge, management and content, gives our players the resources they need to be able to get to their best version.”
Javier Zafra, Fnatic
“We had to make sure the right temperature, lighting, internet connection, tables, chairs and many other small details are optimised for performance. That is surrounded with other areas that can have an impact on the players mental or physical health so that’s the reason why we had a full equipped kitchen with the focus on having a balanced nutrition with fresh food on site, a gym where they can do activations and stretching, a leisure area to spend some time together away from screens.”
“The facility is basically designed to have a positive impact on all performance aspects of the day to day of a player, not only from the in-game angle but also from many others out of the game including areas for physical activation, leisure and relaxation. Apart from the performance aspects, the integration also includes all needed areas to create the content needed to get closer to our fans and be able to share with them the story telling of our journey.”
Pia Schörner, BMW Group Head of Gaming and Sponsoring, commented: “We are excited to collaborate with Fnatic, one of our successful United in Rivalry teams, on the new BMW x Fnatic Esports Performance Facility. It will cover all aspects needed for a team to be able to compete at the highest level of esports.
“The broad approach, ranging from players’ physical and mental health over content creation to in-game performance, is reflecting the philosophy of BMW when it comes to Esports. In addition, the facility provides the perfect stage to showcase BMW Group innovations that we will provide to support Fnatic and their players to further increase their performance. We’ll bring some exciting projects to life in the future.”
The news comes after Fnatic made changes to their CSGO rosters, with one UK player benched and another joining Fnatic Rising academy.
For more information visit the Fnatic High Performance Unit website and see more pictures of Fnatic’s Berlin facility on the ENUK Facebook page here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
