Esports gaming center planned for central city Milwaukee with XBox, Switch, Play Station

An esports gaming center would redevelop a Milwaukee central city building under a proposal endorsed by city officials.

PrimeTime Gaming Center would use a three-story, 2,400-square-foot building at 1606 W. Walnut St.

PrimeTime’s owners, Nathan and Jenean Shorter, plan to spend more than $225,000 on the development, according to a Department of City Development report.

Their investment would create a place for both casual and competitive gamers “offering pay-to-play transactions on high powered PCs, as well as gaming consoles such as XBox, Switch and Play Station,” the report said.

PrimeTime also plans to host monthly tournaments and offer “great food” through its cafe, said Nathan Shorter.

He spoke to members of the Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhood and Development Committee.

It voted to recommend selling the city-owned foreclosed property, which includes a 7,800-square-foot lot, to PrimeTime for $40,000. That sale also needs full council approval.

The development would be financed through a local lender, personal savings and possible city funding resources, the report said. Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., a city-affiliated business lender, also could provide financing assistance.

Nathan Shorter is an IT professional at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino and Jenean Shorter is a real estate agent at ACTS Housing.

Esports popularity growth includes Milwaukee Bucks team

Esports, which features online gamers competing in front of spectators, has been growing in popularity.

The Milwaukee Bucks esports team won the 2022 NBA 2K League championship — which included a $500,000 cash prize.

Waukesha County Technical College last year added competitive online gaming teams.

Also, real estate investor Justin Smith is pursuing plans to convert the long-vacant Modjeska Theatre, 1134 W. Historic Mitchell St., into the Modjeska Arena and Gaming Institute.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.