Hollywood River Studios to Build 12,000 Sq. Ft. Esports Arena

Hollywood River Studios plans a dedicated 12,000-square-foot esports arena on its 105-acre former Envirotech Business Park film campus along Illinois Route 3 in Wood River, Illinois. Construction is slated to begin in fall 2026, with initial production facilities potentially ready within about six months of groundbreaking.

The development is led by Pittsburgh-based entrepreneur Chris Breakwell through Wood River Farm Investments LLC. Planned campus elements include up to six modular sound stages, production support buildings, offices, warehouses, large parking areas and a hotel. As of May 2026, the overall project budget is approximately $95 million, up from an earlier estimate near $60 million; a portion of that total has been allocated to the esports venue.

The arena’s planned features include a main competition stage, player stations, spectator seating and large LED screens. Developers say the space will house broadcast and streaming systems, commentator booths, practice rooms, production control areas and high-speed internet infrastructure to support broadcast-quality events linked to the studio’s film and digital media work.

Chris Breakwell, chief executive of Wood River Farm Investments, described connections between esports and film production technology: “Technology is driving how movies are made, so esports lends itself to virtual reality and some of the other technology driving filmmaking needs. You’ll see that drives a lot of the stuff with colleges and universities — I think we want to keep our kids here and develop a long-term employment base.”

Site preparation and permitting must be completed before clearing and construction begin. Developers are working on detailed plans for the sound stages and support buildings and expect a phased build-out that would allow some studio operations to start in late 2026 or early 2027 if the anticipated schedule holds.

The Wood River project follows a pattern of investments that combine film production and competitive gaming facilities. Industry developers cite overlaps in virtual production, live broadcast infrastructure and high-bandwidth networking as reasons for co-locating esports and film production capabilities. Local officials and educators have identified opportunities to link the campus to workforce development and school esports programs.