Valorant was always clearly designed to be a major esports title. Now, Riot Games has taken the first step towards making that a reality. The studio has announced the Valorant Ignition Series, the game’s first major esports tournament, and have partnered with over twenty esports organisations in order to launch it.
The Valorant Ignition Series 2020 Tournament
“Today we’re announcing the Ignition Series,” writes Riot Games; “our first step after launch to build a robust competitive ecosystem for VALORANT. At this early stage, it’s important for the esports scene to grow naturally in a way that will authentically develop talent, players, and stars. VALORANT esports should reflect the voice of the community, which will only be possible if you continue to provide us with feedback at every step. We’re committed to building VALORANT on the core pillars of competitive integrity, accessibility, and authenticity to create an experience that will captivate you for many years to come.”
The Valorant Ignition Series is to be an official Riot-partner program. During its course, Riot will be spotlighting a handful of different tournaments each week. To do this, the company has partnered with more than 20 major esports organisations; companies which will help to design and run the various Ignition Series tournaments. These will run the gamut from invitationals to show matches and also open tournaments. As such, Riot aims to let Valorant’s esports scene provide space for both established professional players and up-and-coming amateurs.
The first event of the Valorant Ignition Series will begin tomorrow, on the 19th of June; G2 x IGNITION is an invitational featuring eight professional teams. Just one day later, over in Japan, RAGE will be hosting RAGE x IGNITION; a 16-team invitational with a winner-take-all prize of 500,000 Yen. This event is due to begin on the 20th and, like the first, will take place over two days.