For its latest pop up on 7th Street NW, Drink Company teamed up with Events DC, the District’s convention and sports authority, to bring an esports-themed bar to Shaw. But it’s game over for “Levels Unlocked: House of D.C. Heroes,” a month earlier than scheduled.

Pop Up Bar D.C.’s website and social media confirm that the pop up closed on September 1. “We are closed for now and working on our next iteration,” a sign on the door says, right next to a decal with the Events DC logo. When the initial announcement for Levels Unlocked was released, it was slated to be open from July 18 through September 29. “Another incredible spatial transformation by our team with the support of @eventsdc!” Drink Company wrote on Facebook in July. “Let’s celebrate the nostalgia and future of gaming in our culture and our city!”

Neither Drink Company nor Events DC has responded to a request for comment.

Events DC confirmed to DCist back in March that it paid Drink Company for its partnership in creating the pop up bar, which was “a strategic partnership that will play a role in supporting and enhancing the local esports community in the District—as well as our city’s creative and hospitality community,” Events DC CEO Greg O’Dell said in an emailed statement. The quasi-public agency, which receives its funding through D.C.’s hotel and restaurant tax and with revenue from managing several city properties, declined to say how much it paid for this arrangement.

Before making its way to 7th Street in July, a pared-down version of “Levels Unlocked” premiered at arts and technology festival South by Southwest to promote D.C.’s bid to become the “Capital of Esports.” This was Events DC’s third consecutive appearance at SXSW to amplify the city’s investments in the growing industry of competitive video gaming, which include making the year-old Entertainment and Sports Arena a place for esports tournaments, sponsoring teams and events, and bringing a new training home for its Overwatch team to the city. Max Brown, Events DC’s board chair, has worked as a lobbyist for the video game industry.

“Esports, generally, as a market, is growing exponentially, faster than any of the traditional sports,” O’Dell told WAMU last year. “We as a city, and Events DC specifically, have been very bullish on making the investment in this ecosystem to support growing esports in Washington.”

Derek Brown, the president of Drink Company, told DCist in March that the pop up was a “great opportunity for people who are curious about esports. An easy lift is for people to get a drink and check it out.” Levels Unlocked included scenes from games like “Overwatch,” “Smash Bros. Ultimate,” and “NBA2K,” all of which are games with D.C.-based teams.

In other seasons, the lines for the ever-changing pop-up bar on 7th Street NW snaked around the block. (Indeed, those who’ve frequented D.C. dating apps are still seeing that Iron Throne featured in the Game of Thrones pop up back in 2017.) But those lines were not a feature this summer. It’s unclear if that contributed to the early KO.

Previously:
Events DC’s Latest Use Of Tax Dollars: An Esports-Themed Pop-Up Bar