Riot Games has been privately meeting with several esports organizations to discuss future Valorant esports competitive play, according to a new report. The game has recently entered a closed beta that has seen massive success on Twitch.
A record-breaking beta bodes well for Valorant esports
It should come as no surprise that Riot Games is looking to establish a competitive Valorant esports scene given its incredibly successful closed beta release. At more than 1.7 million concurrent viewers, Valorant has surpassed almost every other event streamed on Twitch. Aside from the totality of events like E3, the only event more watched is Riot Games’ League of Legends World Championship grand finals.
Riot Games has invested in a significant number of high-profile streamers to promote Valorant and its Closed Beta event. TimTheTatman, pokimane, and summit1g are among those with “drops enabled,” allowing viewers to gain access keys to the closed beta.
While Riot Games has not yet revealed which gaming organizations it has approached about Valorant esports, establishing a competitive tournament scene seems likely. Creating a franchised league similar to what Riot Games does with League of Legends would not be off the table either.
Valorant’s success has potentially caught the eye of several Overwatch pros already. Retired Overwatch pro Timo “Taimou” Kettunen was seen talking about his take on the game on Twitter.
Can say first day was a success. Sucked ass at the start and still sucked ass at the end.
We go agane tomorrow with stream on this time Pog
— Taimou (@DF_Taimou) April 7, 2020
The Valorant hype has been so huge that some streamers have been falsely claiming players can get drops from their streams, including DrDisrespect.
Chances to gain access keys to the Valorant Closed Beta will be continuing until at least April 11. More opportunities will also be available before the game’s official release.
Valorant is expected to release in summer 2020 but does not have a confirmed release date. Those lucky enough to get into the beta, make sure to check out our guides on how to play some of our favorite agents like Sova or Phoenix. And tell us your predictions for what Valorant esports might entail!
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