Cover-Credits:
Valorant esports as we know it is about to change and Riot Games wants to move the circuit to a partnered league. Teams will participate in a league system instead of the usual double-elimination bracket competitions we are used to seeing currently.
Franchising is about to become a part of Valorant esports with Riot looking to create a “long-term partnership model with a select number of teams” in each league. Over 150 teams have submitted proposals to join the league and many teams have publicly claimed that their applications have been rejected while others have managed to secure a deal with Riot Games.
What will the Valorant Franchised League Look Like?
There will be three leagues in 2023 which will be divided as follows:
League 1: Teams from North America, Latin America, and Brazil
League 2: Europe, Russia, Turkey, and the Middle East
League 3: Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, South Asia, and Oceania
Both the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) and Game Changers circuits will continue to have their respective world championship events. Riot has kept the details about how the leagues will function under wraps but it has promised more information in the coming months.
Riot Games will also double down on its efforts for grassroots-level competitions and Game Changers. Later this year, we will see the first-ever Game Changers global championship take place where the first-ever women’s Valorant world champions will be crowned.
Which teams are participating in the franchised league?
While there is no official information from Riot Games just yet a lot of teams have been open about their willingness to take part in the upcoming league. Here are all of the teams that have applied for partnership.
North America
TSM
100 Thieves
Sentinels
OpTic Gaming
Cloud9
Evil Geniuses
The Guard
NRG
Version1
T1
G2 Esports
Gen.G
Complexity Gaming
G2 Esports has reportedly signed up for both the North American and European league. Complexity Gaming has quit Valorant but it seeks to enter the competitive scene. Rumors suggest that G2 Esports’ North American division will pick up the former Complexity Gaming division while its current roster will compete in Europe.
Europe
G2 Esports
Asia Pacific (APAC)
While no details have been announced yet, Asian esports reporter Seulgi stated on Twitter that Velocity Gaming is out of contention and Global Esports might be a possible contender. Global Esports' Ganesh “SKRossi” Gangadhar talked about how the franchise league is going to impact Valorant esports in the region in a stream as well.
Unconfirmed details about the upcoming franchise league
According to a report by Dot Esports, the North American, Brazilian and Latin American league will have 8-10 teams that will be directly invited. The other leagues based in Europe and Asia will also have a similar number of teams.
The stipend for each player is expected to be in “six figures” but some of the top teams already pay much higher salaries. The system will be similar to the League of Legends’ regional leagues, and it will allow partnered teams to qualify for the world championships (Valorant Champions). Open competition is not being done away with and the Valorant Champions Tour will continue to operate.
Teams that will NOT be part of the upcoming league
Here are the following teams that have quit competitive Valorant or had their applications for the upcoming league rejected:
Shopify Rebellion (Game Changers roster still active)
Luminosity
Ghost Gaming
SoaR
Built By Gamers
NYFU (NYXL)
When will we know more about the upcoming league?
The partnership was announced by Riot Games in April and the new circuit is expected to begin in 2023. The three international leagues will feature LAN events with live audiences (Asia, Europe, and the Americas).
The dates for the events are unknown but we are likely to get more information either after Valorant Champions 2022 concludes in September or after the conclusion of the Game Changers circuit in November.
