Riot Games announces 2021 VALORANT Champions tour
Riot Games has officially announced the VALORANT Champions Tour, which is a season-long competition tour that will roll out throughout 2021, featuring competitions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The competitions will conclude by finding one overall champion of the entire global run.
Speaking about the upcoming tour, Senior Director of Esports at Riot Games Whalen Rozelle said: “The Champions Tour is our next step to grow VALORANT into a global esport worthy of the passion of our fans. We've spent a couple of years now talking to players, teams, fans, prospective partners, and other stakeholders, and we're extremely excited to launch our first official season. Our focus will be on elevating and showcasing the creative and talented players who are shaping this game across the globe. Fans and players both wanted high stakes competition, and that's what the VALORANT Champions Tour is designed to do.”
Click to enlargeThe tour itself will consist of a three-tiered competition level: Challengers, Masters, and Champions. After first playing in the regional Challenger events, teams will begin advancing to international Masters events. There are three Masters events in which top-performing teams can amass points that will count towards qualifying for the Champions event. The final event will bring sixteen of the top teams in the world together to crown the global VALORANT champion.
Founding partners of the tournament include gaming chair extraodinares Secretlab and Red Bull, who have "both been long-time supporters of esports operated by Riot Games". Speaking about the partnership, Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Partnerships and Business Development for Riot Games “Red Bull has been a long-time supporter of sports, esports, and gaming. Their deep understanding and appreciation of gaming culture and their desire to continually raise the bar for fans makes them an ideal partner. VALORANT esports is a global, multifaceted sports and entertainment property committed to innovating and shaping the future of sports, and we look forward to breaking the mould with Red Bull.”
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Images via Riot Games
