After the season concluded with LOUD taking the World Championship back to Brazil, the attention quickly turned to the offseason. With a five-month break and massive roster changes with the partnership system incoming, fans were left wondering if Riot would finally announce the third-party events that have been teased since 2021.
In an official Riot press release, those looming questions have been answered. Riot announced 25 events taking place across all three major regions lasting the entire VALORANT offseason.
Riot allowing tournament organizers to experiment with format
The events will consist of many different formats and players, as Riot has committed to giving partnered esports organizations free rein to experiment. This includes content creator-geared events, pick-ban formats, and agent drafting. In North America alone, four out of the five events will include irregular formats, displaying Riot’s intention to test out different tournament structures ahead of the season.
Nonetheless, Riot is building an ecosystem not solely centred around partnered teams. It’s an opportunity to expand outside the hyper-competitive VCT events and focus on the fun aspects of the game. More importantly, these events will give VALORANT fans content to survive the offseason.
Moreover, does the question then become which approach will work best for fans? North America is the only region running different formats, while Europe and Asia are more geared towards open competitions and bringing together tier-one teams. It’s a good chance for Riot to learn more about their audience and deduce which formats work and which ones don’t. Regardless, variety in the makeup of the event will make for compelling and unique entertainment.
25 Offseason events across all three regions
In total, 25 events will populate the globe: eight events in the Americas, nine in APAC, and eight in Europe. The third-party events will run from October 1st all the way up through January. The main difference, outside of differing formats, is the number of show matches across the regions.
For example, APAC has a disproportionate amount of region vs region crossover, unlike EMEA or the Americas. Europe, on the other hand, has the highest concentration of pro-player-focused events with Red Bull Home Grounds and the G-Loot VALORANT Clash. While North America, as mentioned previously, is more focused on experimenting and running open brackets with the popular Knights Arena VALORANT Freezeout.
Clearly, the mix of different types of events will give every fan of VALORANT something to look forward to. It’s a great opportunity for prospective players, organizations, and tournament organizers to show Riot their commitment to the game and help it grow past the franchise structure. It’s huge for tier-two as well, giving players another outlet outside the Ascension tournaments.
In addition, we see Brazil get a number of events along with Latin American countries. We also see the return of VLRs in Turkey and the DACH region. Riot has a little bit for every type of fan.
Events and dates for the VALORANT OFF//SEASON:
AMERICAS TERRITORY OFF//SEASON EVENT
G4 RumbleDates: Oct 1
Copa Rakin (Brazil)Dates: Oct 25 – Dec 4BoomTVDates: Nov 8 – Nov 13Knights Arena VALORANT Freezeout (NA)Dates: Dec 15 – Dec 18Spike Series Invitational (Brazil)Dates: Nov 5-11Vava BTS Sunset (Brazil)Dates: Nov 21 – Nov 27VALORANT Latam GodsDates: Nov 28 – Dec 4Ludwig x Tarik Invitational (NA)Dates: Jan 14-15
PACIFIC TERRITORY OFF//SEASON EVENTS
TEC Challenger SeriesDates: Sept 29th – October 13th
TEN 5_Valorant Korea vs. Japan ShowmatchDates: October 3
Valorant India Invitational by Galaxy Racer (GXR)Dates: Oct 14 – Nov 20
Penta Pro Series – ValorantDates: Oct 28 – Dec 18
TEN 5_ Valorant Korea vs. JapanDates: Oct 3
TEN 5_ Valorant Special MatchDates: Nov 4
Gwangju Esports Series (GES) AsiaDates: Nov 26 – 27
WCG Rivals – Valorant: Korea vs JapanDates: Dec 16
Afreeca TV SEA InvitationalDates: Nov 29th – December 4th
EMEA TERRITORY OFF//SEASON EVENTS
Crossfire Cup Mediamarkt e IntelDates: Oct 3 – Nov 12
VALORANT REGIONAL LeagueTürkiye InvitationalDates: Oct 3 – 9
VALORANT REGIONAL League Dach Evolution: UnityDates: Oct 3 – Dec 18
Red Bull Home Ground 2022Dates: Oct 7 – Dec 11
BME SuperdomeDates: Oct 13 – Oct 22
G-Loot VALORANT ClashDates: Oct 21- Nov 27
Coupe de FranceDates: Oct 27 – Dec 12
Lyon e-SportDates: Nov 11 – Nov 13
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