It's finally here. With the Valorant Ignition Series begins the first Riot-partner program dedicated to promoting various tournaments surrounding the title.
After various online events on Valorant have already been held by streamers and other personalities, Riot is now following suit. Today, June 16, they announced their Valorant Ignition Series, which now opens the official esports scene of the shooter.
What is the Valorant Ignition Series?
The series is not a single event but consists of many tournaments created in partnership with players, teams, content creators, and tournament organizers from around the world. According to the announcement, the focus will be on building the Valorant competitive ecosystem. It is the first step that Riot Games take after the release of the tactical shooter.
we’re introducing the VALORANT Ignition Series, an official Riot-partner program where we spotlight a few tournaments each week, help discover talented players, and build global recognition for top VALORANT pros and teams.
We aspire to bring the world together in global competition and that means building this together with you. The Ignition Series is our first step: a partnership program with tournament organizers to showcase all forms of competitive VALORANT. Learn more: https://t.co/KU4EFY6FLS
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) June 16, 2020
Riot claim that they're aiming at the natural growth of the Valorant esports scene. That's a bit ironic considering the marketing effort which was put to overhype the game. Furthermore, numerous organizations already signed a roster for the title even before its official release.
Valorant Ignition Series dates
Each tournament in the Valorant Ignition Series is intended to be unique, as it is organized by a wide variety of organizers. In the countries where Valorant started, the Ignition Series tournaments will give players the opportunity to start building a competitive Valorant scene in their region. The G2 Esports VALORANT Invitational will kick-off, at the same time as RAGE, Japan's biggest esports event.
G2 Esports VALORANT Invitational
The G2 Esports VALORANT Invitational is already scheduled for this weekend. Eight brave teams will face each other and fight for fame and glory. Who's the best? We'll find out. In addition, no team knows against whom they will play first, as the matches are not revealed until the day of the event. The G2 Valorant event will commence June 19-21 at 3:00 p.m. CEST.
Rage x Ignition
The RAGE esports event will be the first officially licensed Valorant tournament in Japan, under the name of the Ignition Series. 16 teams will be invited to the tournament - such as DetonatioN Gaming and JUPITER. The prize is 500,000 yen (about 4,100€), which the winner can take home. It'll be starting on June 19-21 at 3:00 p.m. JST.
Further details on future events will be announced on 18 June. According to the published plan, it is to continue as early as next week, from 26 - 28 June.
More Valorant news can be found as always on EarlyGame, for example, the Valorant Map Guide to Ascent and our Valorant Weapons Guide.