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American holding company Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) is reportedly looking to enter the Valorant esports scene. KSE is owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke who currently owns English soccer club Arsenal and NFL club Los Angeles Rams.
The organization also owns two esports teams, Overwatch League’s LA Gladiators and Call of Duty League’s LA Guerillas. Both team are high profile franchises in their respective leagues and a third team may be in the making with KSE entering Valorant esports. Riot Games has not announced any details for the 2022 Valorant Champions Tour and it is unknown if it will shift to a franchised league format like its regional League of Legends esports events.
KSE has already signed its first player
According to a report by Upcomer, KSE has already signed Michael “neT” Bernet as the first player of the organization. The player has formerly played for Squirtle Squad, Elysium and Starless White. Other players who will be joining the organization are currently unknown.
KSE entered the Overwatch League in 2017 and in 2019, it entered Call of Duty League. Valorant will be the third esport that the company shall venture into if the reports hold true. The Valorant Champions Tour’s 2021 season is still ongoing and the Champions event is set to conclude on 12th Dec 2021, after which Riot Games is likely to reveal details for the next season.
Riot Games will reportedly not switch to a franchised league format for 2022
According to a report, Riot Games held a confidential meeting with North American team owners and managerial staff on 27th Sept 2021 to discuss Valorant’s future. The publisher seeks to improve the production of future events and Riot is looking to host even more events in 2022. However, it is not looking to transition into a franchised league format as the esports ecosystem for the game is built upon open-circuit events, which have proven to be highly successful.
None of the information has been officially confirmed yet by Riot Games and we will have to wait until the 2021 season concludes before any official information is available about next year’s Valorant esports calendar.
