Riot Games has chosen a different approach with its upcoming shooter Valorant. Unlike League of Legends, franchising won’t be a thing, at least for now.
Valorant has been in closed beta for over a week and the game already had two tournaments, one by 100 Thieves and one by T1. Additionally, T1 and Cloud9 have signed pro players for their upcoming Valorant rosters. The esports future of the title was uncertain as last we heard from the development team, they’d like to see what the community wants first. It turns out this wasn’t just an excuse to dodge the question as Riot’s community guidelines for Valorant tournaments have been revealed.
The guidelines
We’re all familiar with League of Legends and its success. The MOBA has one of the best esports scenes if you managed to get there. The process isn’t easy and unlike rival competitors Dota 2 or CS:GO, a small team will have a hard time making it big. Valorant will have a different approach, coming once again closer to CS:GO’s strategy.
We know VALORANT has the makings of a global esport, but want to make sure we're building it right - and together.@RiotMagus talks first steps toward building the VALORANT esports ecosystem and our community tournament support: https://t.co/2b9Wk4zPNj pic.twitter.com/WGICR4XJsT
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) April 15, 2020
In an April 14 blog post, Senior Director of Global Esports Whalen “Magus” Rozelle managed to shed some light on what’s to come:
We’re overwhelmed by the interest and excitement behind VALORANT, and we’re excited to embark on this long esports journey with you all. We’re already hearing questions on what esports will look like, and while it’s early, we’ll try to share whatever details we can. 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. As such, a primary focus early on will be forming partnerships with players, content creators, tournament organizers, and developers—unlocking them to help us to build this ecosystem.
According to the Community Guidelines, Valorant tournaments will be split into three tiers.
Small event organizers won’t need an application as simply adhering to the guidelines will be enough. For Medium and Major events, on the other hand, organizers will have to apply to the Regional or Global Riot Esports Team respectively. Prize pools in the three tiers will vary with small events having a cap of $10, 000 and medium of $50, 000. In medium and major events Riot Games may also contribute to the total prize money.
Blood not allowed
An interesting part of the Guidelines is that
Additionally, you must toggle off “Show Blood” in the VALORANT settings.
On the one hand, this probably has to do with reducing the overall violence for some of the viewers. On the other, we know for certain that blood in video games is banned in China and Riot Games are owned by Tencent. The latter is a Chinese giant with shares in many other popular games like Fortnite and Call of Duty. Valorant will no doubt want to make a good impression for the Chinese audience so it comes as no surprise that blood won’t be allowed in official broadcasts.
Valorant not going with the League of Legends strategy for its competitive scene is certainly good news for both organizers and fans. The game is already forming a huge community despite still being in closed beta thanks to the publicity it gets through streamers. For now, Riot’s only concern should be keeping players after the title’s launch in the summer. Stay tuned for more Valorant news.
