Riot Games has announced the first steps it is taking in the world of pro-Valorant, by announcing the Valorant Ignition Series, which features tournaments hosted by third parties. The Valorant Ignition Series will kick off this weekend with the G2 Esports Valorant Invitational, a €15,000 tournament that will feature eight teams competing from June 19 – June 21.
The Official account of Valorant has also posted about the esports tournament on their Twitter handle read below.
ESports Tournament
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The plan makes sense: not only do fans have the opportunity to watch a variety of top FPS players compete in Valorant tournaments in their own time zone, but it also provides a platform for amateur players to gain recognition and begin their journey towards becoming an esports professional. Riot may not be an official tournament host — that may come later — but the company says it will amplify Ignition Series events through its own channels and continue to publish updated schedules week over week.
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In creating the series, the Santa Monica-based company worked with over 20 esports organizations to establish competitive events for fans all over the world. Competitions will kick off on June 19 with European and Japanese invitationals that run for three days each and include open qualifiers and show matches.
Over in Japan the RAGE x IGNITION tournament will also take place this weekend and feature a 500,000 Yen winner takes all prize pool.
Third Party ESports Organizers
The game broke viewership records on its first day of closed beta, with 34 million hours-watched in a single day and surpassing 1.7 million peak concurrent viewers — second only to the League of Legends World Championship Finals. It officially launched for PC on June 2.
“We are ready to open the Valorant Ignition Series and continue the success of the G2 EU Brawls in an all-out entertainment-filled invitational,” said Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of G2 Esports. “Our partnership with Riot has helped make the European League of Legends community the force it is today and contributed to the success of the LEC, and I have no doubt that we will do the same for Valorant.“
It’ll be quite interesting to see how Valorant’s first major global tournament series shakes out. Many esports organizations have already announced signings and roster changes in order to put together squads for Riot’s first-person shooter. With the game already having such a dedicated audience so early in its lifespan, there’s a good chance for Valorant to take off as the next big name in esports.
The Ignition Series will involve events from over 20 esports organizations. This will be Valorant’s first global tournament series. It all starts on June 19 with the European G2 Esports Invitational and the Rage Valorant Japan Invitational. Future events will take place in North America, Brazil, Latin America, South Korea, Japan, South East Asia, Oceania, Europe, Russia, Turkey, and the Middle East.
“Each organizer will operate their own Ignition Series tournament, with variations that will include competitive open qualifiers, show matches, and invitationals with top players, established personalities, and aspiring amateurs,” Riot Games explains. “In countries where Valorant has launched, Ignition Series tournaments will provide players with the opportunity to begin building their region’s competitive legacy.”
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