Valorant Esports
The biggest talk in the esports world right now is Riot Games' Valorant. The first-person tactical shooter began a closed beta a couple of weeks ago and the hype hasn't quelled since. Gamers are still clamoring for access to the beta and waiting with bated breath on more news about the game. In a post to the official Valorant site, Riot Games gave a brief outline of the company's vision for Valorant esports.
Riot's Senior Director of Global Esports, Whalen “Magus” Rozelle, said that the spirit of Valorant's pro scene revolves around three pillars: Competitive Integrity, Accessibility, and Authenticity. He also stated that Riot is not looking to rush into creating a scene for the game.
"As part of our Authenticity principle, we want to let VALORANT grow naturally; we’re not looking to force anything too quickly without knowing what’s best for esports fans."
Whalen “Magus” Rozelle - Riot Games Senior Director of Global Esports.
Its a telling statement, considering other games like Fortnite and Apex Legends took upwards of a year to start a competitive scene. Also within the post is a link to download Valorant's Community Guidelines, outlining the rules for tournament organizers. In the document is the dollar amounts amateur events can't exceed, branding rules and more. With these rules in place local events could start as early as today, pending your access to the game.
What was not shared in the post was any talk of implementing the in-game ranking system. Although it seems entirely premature, players are eager to start the grind to the top of Valorant's leaderboards. Valorant is currently not available to download by any other means besides closed beta access.
Catch up with more esports news and stories in our Esports Section.
