VALORANT esports head shares details on VCT Team Bundles revenue split
Leo Faria, Global Head of VALORANT esports, recapitulates 2023 and shares details about revenue from the VCT Team Bundles, plans for the future, and more.
11th Dec 2023 15:30
Image via Riot Games
VALORANT esports head shares details on VCT Team Bundles revenue split
Leo Faria, Global Head of VALORANT esports, recapitulates 2023 and shares details about revenue from the VCT Team Bundles, plans for the future, and more.
11th Dec 2023 15:30
Image via Riot Games
With the conclusion of Game Changers, Riot Games concluded the first year of its full-range esports calendar for its tactical shooter, VALORANT. Leo Faria, the game's Global Head of esports, recapitulated the events of the year.
Faria also gave details on how his team envisions the future of VALORANT esports going forward. Changes entail a stretched-out distribution and reordering of events, Swiss stage into double elimination at Masters Madrid, and team skins for all partner and Ascension teams.
The year in review
It was a big year for VALORANT esports, especially in the Americas, the region in which it overtook its competition in terms of viewership. Globally, it could also leave a mark, attracting a 1.8 million peak concurrent and a total of 9.5 million unique viewers during Champions in Los Angeles.
That VALORANT is currently a worthwhile pasture for brands interested in esports can be felt in a large number of OFF//SEASON events, sitting in the 40s. While Game Changers didn't grow in terms of viewership YoY, Faria shares that it remained strong without disclosing specific numbers.
Its consistency may bode well for Riot's declared goal of facilitating mixed-gender rosters, which it is willing to make rule changes for - introducing policies such as player loads, making Game Changers players exempt from import rules, and introducing the possibility to play in bost systems with limitations through a two-way player system.
MTX has become a polarising topic in the esports space, with various team owners stating that establishing these as revenue streams in partnership with the respective developers is paramount. For VCT, a total of $33 million USD were shared with teams, according to Faria, of which $12 million landed with players, who also earned $3 million of the $4.5 million paid out in total prize money.
In terms of breakdown, the LOCK//IN Bundle contributed $10 million to teams, while the main international event, VALORANT Champions accrued $22 million of revenue share for the participating organisations.
The MTX offering will also be extended with VCT team bundles that all partnered teams, as well as the Ascension teams, will receive, a move that, by extrapolating from the above numbers, should help assist participating organisations further.
Future plans
Faria also expanded on the future changes Riot is looking to make to the VALORANT Champions Tour and its offseason. As such, it’s looking to stretch out the calendar for a distribution of events that optimises for player rest, viewer fatigue, and putting a highlight on events, especially after Champions.
It wouldn't be a Riot circuit if the team didn't once again tinker with the competitive format of its events, introducing a Swiss stage with crucially a double elimination bracket to Masters Madrid, which is set to take place in the Spanish capital starting March 14th and running through to the 24th.
Furthermore, the team is looking to streamline the path to pro, allowing teams to directly qualify for VALORANT Challengers through the in-game tournament system Premier. There's the expressed goal of removing the barrier of entry.
The next OFF//SEASON event Convergence 2023 is about to kick off on December 14th, pitting a selection of global partnership teams against the two Indian teams Global Esports and True Rippers, which will be in the opener against the South Koreans of Gen.G.
About The Author
Sascha Heinisch
Sascha "Yiska" Heinisch is a Senior Esports Journalist at GGRecon. He's been creating content in esports for over 10 years, starting with Warcraft 3.
