The Global Head of Valorant esports at Riot Games, Leo Faria, confirmed in a press conference ahead of VCT LOCK//IN that China is getting a professional league.
Multiple reports have stated that China is set to get a Valorant league in 2023 as Riot Games obtained a license to launch the game in the county in late 2022. In a press conference before the first international Valorant esports event of 2023, the head of Valorant esports at Riot confirmed that the country will get competitions in the future.
“We know from League of Legends how amazing that community is, how dedicated they are, how much effort they put into competing and winning championships so we’re building a plan for competitions in China right now,” Faria said.
Valorant esports is headed to China
Faria said the developer still does not know how the league will look, or how it will integrate into the rest of the Valorant Champions Tour circuit. Two Chinese teams are going to compete at VCT LOCK//IN as Edward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix were invited to play alongside the other 30 partnered teams.
China has had unofficial Valorant competitions in the past and Riot let the region join the international stage last year as Edward Gaming made an appearance at Valorant Champions 2022.
Riot Games revamped Valorant esports for 2023, going from an open circuit to a league system with three international leagues of 10 partnered teams. Organizations can join the new leagues through a promotion tournament at the end of the year and qualify for that through regional Valorant Challengers Leagues.
A Chinese league could work like a VCL and see teams from the region qualify for the VCT Pacific league, or have a direct invitation to top-tier international events.
“We will definitely make sure China has a big presence in the VCT,” Faria said.
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