Nerd Street Gamers has announced that the company has extended its partnership with Riot Games. Together, they will continue to run the 2021 North American Valorant Champions Tour Challengers events, as well as the new Game Changers Series.
Previously, Nerd Street Gamers partnered with Riot for its first Ignition Series event: T1 x Nerd Street Gamers VALORANT Showdown. Also, the organization ran the FTW Summer Showdown and the first leg of the VCT.
Challengers Two and Three
Nerd Street Gamers has been a mainstay in the short life of North American competitive Valorant. Furthermore, outside of the Ignition Series and VCT events, the organization operated a monthly tournament series in 2020.
Now, fans of the North American scene can expect the same level of production for future VCT events like Challengers two and three.
“Our relationship with Nerd Street Gamers has been a core driver in the growth of the VALORANT competitive scene. With the company’s expertise in esports tournament operations, we can distinguish our VALORANT tournaments as a force in the industry rooted in high-quality professional-grade opportunities,” said Matthew Archambault, Head of Esports Partnerships, Riot Games NA & OCE.
The second stage of the VCT will start April 1, with another series of open qualifiers.
Nerd Street Gamers to run Game Changers Series
The Valorant Game Changers Series will also be operated by Nerd Street Gamers. This series is a Riot Games program that focuses on creating opportunities and exposure for women and other marginalized genders.
By the same token, the organization has experience running similar tournaments. It had the largest prize pool, to this day, for an all-female tournament at the FTW Summer Showdown. Additionally, this tournament is where many current professional players—on teams like Cloud9 White and Evil Geniuses—were first recognized.
“Riot’s support of the amateur ecosystem, by fueling these open tournaments, is the largest factor of the success we’re seeing. We are proud to empower them with our competitive infrastructure to execute their vision and reach as many gamers as possible,” said John Fazio, CEO of Nerd Street Gamers.
The new tournament series will begin March 19 with open qualifiers, and culminate in the main event on March 25.
