Santa Ana, California-based Esports Arena has partnered with its investor Allied Esports and MGM Resorts International to launch a new esports-dedicated venue in early 2018 at the Luxor Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip, the three partners announced Tuesday.

"We have very ambitious expansion plans over the next two years, and when we realized that a location at Luxor was possible, we jumped at the opportunity to develop our flagship here," Allied Esports International CEO Jud Hannigan said in a news release.

"Just as Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden and Wembley Stadium are considered their sports' most aspirational venues by players and fans alike, Esports Arena Las Vegas will be the iconic destination in esports and complement the city's incredible appeal, attracting video gaming competitors and fans from around the world."

Allied Esports hopes to make the new Las Vegas venue the flagship of its network of locations around the world; these locations include Santa Ana and Beijing, as well as a touring game truck in Europe. The company intends to launch more venues in the coming year in Shenzhen, China, and Oakland, California.

The new arena will be the second esports-focused venue in Las Vegas. Event organizer Millennial Esports opened a venue in downtown Las Vegas in March.

"We've closely watched the growth and excitement around esports for some time and we think this is going to be a great additional amenity for our customers," Luxor general manager Niklas Rytterstrom told ESPN. "We just wanted to make sure that we were partnering with the right company and Allied have the knowledge and expertise. Arguably more importantly, they have a great vision not only for what they want to do with the space here at the Luxor, but their global expansion. We're pretty excited about it and are certainly open to more events with esports."

Luxor sister resort Mandalay Bay played host to two esports events in 2016, the League Championship Series North American Spring Finals and the Evolution Championship Series. The city has more recently seen events such as DreamHack Masters Las Vegas, Heroes of the Dorm and qualifiers for the Halo World Championship.

The SLS Vegas Hotel and Casino also hosts a monthly esports event, Battle on the Strip, and hotel Downtown Grand has played a pivotal part of esports' expansion in the city, such as formerly housing the Renegades Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. Additionally, sportsbook William Hill opened wagering on certain esports events in its Las Vegas location in November.