Riot Games has released information on how it plans to establish the Valorant esports scene, including “Community Competition Guidelines.” Looking to differentiate it from League of Legends, Riot will be initially taking a hands-off approach to competitive play. For the free-to-play Valorant, Riot is working to build a system where players and teams are encouraged to organize and host their own events.
Director of esports Whalen “Magus” Rozelle spoke at length on how Valorant will be relying on three main principles when building its community. The core pillars are competitive integrity, accessibility, and authenticity, all with the hope of supporting the competitive scene while empowering teams to build it themselves.
We know VALORANT has the makings of a global esport, but want to make sure we're building it right – and together.@RiotMagus talks first steps toward building the VALORANT esports ecosystem and our community tournament support: https://t.co/2b9Wk4zPNj pic.twitter.com/WGICR4XJsT
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) April 15, 2020
Building the Valorant esports scene
These principles mean Riot will be working to ensure that players of all levels of experience will have an equal opportunity to reach the highest level of play. Matches will be determined by a player’s skill and teamwork and not external influences. Riot also wants to ensure that everyone competing is welcome in the Valorant community and that both fans new and old to the game can enjoy it. Shortly after Valorant’s release, Riot Games was reported to have been talking to players and competitive organizations.
“We’re overwhelmed by the initial interest and excitement in Valorant. We have massive dreams for what this game can be as an esport, and we’re excited to embark on this long esports journey with our players,” Rozelle said. “As part of our Authenticity principle, we want to let Valorant grow naturally.”
One of the first steps towards orchestrating a brand new esports scene, Riot Games has released Valorant Community Competition Guidelines. These guidelines will help support tournament organizers with Riot’s three principles in mind. Riot hopes that as Valorant grows, it can build a community any player can enjoy.
The game has had a major impact in the esports community, breaking Twitch records with more than 1.7 million viewers during the closed beta release. With League of Legends’ already huge player base and the appeal of a new squad-based tactical shooter, Valorant is well on its way to being the next major game for esports.
