Meltdown (bar chain)
Meltdown is a French bar chain dedicated to video games and eSports.
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| Industry | bar  | 
|---|---|
| Founded | May 1, 2012 | 
| Founders | Sophia Metz  Manolack Sana Nikone Yann-Cédric Mainguy  | 
| Headquarters | Paris , France  | 
| Services | Barcraft, Bar, Themed parties, Event management | 
| Website | www | 
History
    
Based on the idea of a permanent Barcraft, the first bar Meltdown was established in 2012 in Paris in a small bistro on rue Albert-Thomas.[1] It streamed eSports competitions and had computers and consoles available for use by its clientele. The bar moved to a new location on Passage Thiéré, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris on December 21, 2013.
Meltdown is developing in France and abroad with a franchise platform. There are 20 bars in 7 countries.[2]

Model
    
Meltdown has a menu of cocktails inspired by the video game universe.[3]
A schedule, varying depending on the city, highlights one specific game each day of the week, with the organisation of a free access tournament. Outside of tournament hours, computers and consoles are available for customers to play games.[4]
Meltdown bars broadcast major eSports[5] competitions on their screens. Meltdown has had a presence at gaming conventions such as Paris Games Week and Dreamhack.
Professional Players
    
A team of professional players was created by Meltdown in 2014. The first player to wear its colors was Olivier "Louffy" Hay,[6] followed by Ilyes "Stephano" Satouri.[7] The player Florent "Neo" Lecoanet, a world champion of Super Mario Kart, has since joined the team.
Expansion
    
The creation of the Meltdown franchise was announced in March 2013.[8] The bars currently open are:
- France:
- Paris (opened on May 1, 2012 - new location as of December 21, 2013 - relocated September 19, 2020)
 - Montpellier (opened on July 12, 2014)
 - Strasbourg (opened on January 10, 2015)
 - Tours (opened on April 16, 2016)
 - Lyon (opened on April 30, 2016)
 - Troyes (opened on October 15, 2016)
 - Dijon (opened on April 29, 2017)
 - Marseille (opened on September 22, 2018)
 - Pau (opened on September 29, 2018)
 - Chambéry (opened on December 1, 2018)
 - Nantes (opened on January 19, 2019)
 - Avignon (opened on May 18, 2019)
 - Nancy (opened on October 26, 2019)
 
 - Other countries:
- London (United Kingdom, opened on June 1, 2013)
 - Cologne (Germany, opened on January 30, 2016)
 - Brussels (Belgium, opened on May 7, 2016)
 - Montreal (Canada, opened on July 30, 2016)
 - Madrid (Spain, opened on February 18, 2017)
 - Barcelona (Spain, opened on November 3, 2018)
 - Panama City (Panama, opened on December 14, 2018)
 - Málaga (Spain, opened on March 30, 2019)
 - Sheffield (United Kingdom, opened on May 11, 2019)
 
 
References
    
- "Le premier bar d'esport en Europe a ouvert à Paris"
 - , Meltdown, "Meltdown Esports Bars", on www.meltdown.bar (accessed on September 14th 2016).
 - , "Au comptoir des geeks"
 - , "Rencontre avec Yann-Cédric Mainguy, co-fondateur du Meltdown"
 - , "Le phénomène e-sport"
 - , "Meltdown Luffy, champion de l'Evo : "Une grosse fierté pour l'Europe et pour la France"
 - ,"Stephano quitte EG pour le Meltdown"
 - , "Reportage - Un bar dedié l'e-sport"
 
