NJEDA And Stockton University Sign Agreement To Advance Esports Innovation Center

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority and Stockton University signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Tuesday, June 24 enabling the NJEDA to provide $200,000 in funding plus staff resources to Stockton University for its esports initiative.

The MOU includes Stockton’s establishment of an Esports Innovation Center at the university’s Atlantic City campus. The Center is expected to help to advance the goal of establishing Atlantic City as a hub for the rapidly growing esports industry.

“Esports presents a rare chance to cultivate an entirely new industry that will create good paying, skilled jobs, along with an opportunity to build industry leadership,” said New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Y. Oliver. “With a renowned higher education partner like Stockton University, and our unparalleled pool of technology talent I am confident that New Jersey is well-equipped to support the rapidly-growing esports industry and the economic potential it can offer our residents and small businesses.”

The esports industry can help diversify New Jersey’s tourism and entertainment sector and be a source of new high-quality, high-wage jobs, such as software engineers, product developers, and content provision/event production roles.

Thanks to New Jersey’s strong technology infrastructure and innovation ecosystem, the esports industry has already taken root in the state, and the Esports Innovation Center will build on that momentum to establish New Jersey, and Atlantic City, as the epicenter of esports growth.

This Center will also be a huge step forward in creating the most diverse innovation ecosystem in the country and will help to close the racial and gender wage and employment gaps.

More information about the Esports Innovation Center and Stockton University’s other esports programs is available at https://sites.google.com/stockton.edu/stockton-esports/home.