Full Sail Stories
Published Jun 16, 2025
Armada HQ: Home to Full Sail's Esports and Gaming Community
The dedicated space features PCs, gaming consoles, and a broadcast room for casting esports events.
Armada HQ is one of the latest additions to the Full Sail University campus and is designed to be a home for the school's gaming and esports community. The space is equipped with a variety of options designed for both casual players seeking connections and competitive gamers looking to play at an elite level, and is open to all students and staff.
“This is really the hub, the center of all things esports happening on a daily basis on Full Sail's campus,” says Bennett Newsome, Director of Esports Growth & Development. “It's a really fun place for students to not only come and have some time in between classes to game, but also really network and make some friendships.”
Armada HQ’s main room features dozens of gaming PCs and a welcoming atmosphere.
The 2,743-square-foot facility features 45 high-end PC gaming stations. Students can reserve a PC in two different areas where they can choose from among a large selection of pre-installed titles. These currently include:
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Counter-Strike 2
- League of Legends
- Overwatch 2
- Valorant
- and more
“We try to keep [the machines] updated pretty frequently as far as the most popular games,” Bennett explains. “We can add games in the future as far as time goes on, new games come out, people want to play new things.”
Games can be played through either a student’s Armada account or by using their own personal account on platforms like Steam, Battle.net, and Epic Games.
Armada HQ also has a console gaming lounge featuring a Sony PlayStation 5 (currently with Marvel Rivals and Fortnite), a Nintendo Switch (currently with Super Smash Bros. and Rocket League), and two 65-inch screens.
A group of students game together in the console lounge.
Plus, there is a soundproofed broadcast room in which students can get hands-on experience with the production aspects of esports. Designed for students who want to learn casting, they can use a fully-equipped desk with dual low-profile desktop displays for match calling, cameras, microphones, mixers, a 50-inch front-facing display, and drop-down green screens with options for various backgrounds. Casters can broadcast Armada varsity matches streamed from the space regularly.
The soundproofed broadcast room allows casters to view the action in the space while calling matches.
Current students can also explore the history of Full Sail Armada in a hallway adorned with jerseys from notable Armada athletes, along with a mural highlighting previous tournaments and events.
Armada HQ is open Monday through Friday during the day for any student to use; after 6 PM, the space is dedicated to Armada's varsity competitions.
Students congregate outside Armada HQ’s main entrance at Building 3.
While the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress will continue to serve as the university’s arena for large-scale tournaments and esports productions, Armada HQ is now a go-to space where students across all degree programs can come together for their shared passion of gaming. In addition to serving as a dedicated space, the facility will also hold community-focused events, LAN tournaments, and workshops hosted by faculty and staff. Students will even have the chance to pitch and host their own events.
“I feel like we always try to go above and beyond with the things that we do at Full Sail," says Bennett. "I definitely think we did that with this space.”
