Fortress Melbourne to indefinitely close only 5 days after opening

Fortress Melbourne opened its doors just 4 days ago, yet the venue is set to close indefinitely starting tomorrow (Wednesday, March 18th). The news comes to us from Jon Satterley and Adrian Giles, Co-Founders of Fortress Australia.

Fortress Melbourne is “The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest esports and games entertainment venue.” It’s a venue that spans 2 stories in The Emporium, a busy and expensive location within the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. The place was set to be a gamers haven with areas for tabletop gaming, PC gaming, streaming, watching esports, hanging out in a themed tavern and much more. Whilst the idea behind Fortress was and still is incredibly exciting and ambitious, they also unfortunately launched during a really terrible time.

Fortress Melbourne has announced the venue’s infedinite closure for the time being whilst the world battles with COVID-19 (coronavirus). We don’t yet know what the ramifications are for Fortress so soon after closing, nor do we know when the venue intends to re-open. The full statement can be seen below.

“Due to the ongoing threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Fortress Melbourne has decided to close to the public from Wednesday 18th March.

In the current climate, we believe this is the socially responsible action to take to protect the health of our team and patrons. While we have implemented several social distancing strategies and reinforced our cleaning efforts and hygiene protocols, the state of the global situation goes directly against our mission to bring live social gameplay to Australia.

To date, there have been no confirmed cases within the Fortress team or patrons. However, we are taking this precautionary measure in the best interests of the community.

We have been overwhelmed by the support and excitement Melbourne has shown us since we’ve opened. We cannot wait to reopen our doors once we’ve all made it safely through this challenging time.

For those who have supported us in purchasing memberships, we will be placing payments on hold, and you will not be charged until we reopen.

While we won’t be physically open, we hope to continue engaging with you all through our website and social platforms. Many of us will be looking for ways to stay connected with our friends and family, and Fortress will be looking for ways that we can use our technology to help bring people together.

It is important to follow information from the Australian Health Officials. If you are unwell or display any flu-like symptoms, it is imperative that you remain at home especially if you have a temperature, or any signs of a respiratory tract infection (including a sore throat, cough, or shortness of breath).

We thank you for your understanding and ongoing support. 

Kind regards,
Jon Satterley and Adrian Giles (Co-Founders of Fortress Australia) “