Riot Games to implement partnership system in Valorant in 2023
Riot Games have recently announced its intent to implement a long-term partnership system in Valorant. In 2023, Valorant esports will move from its current semi-open circuit to a league-type system similar to their League of Legends franchised leagues.
Riot plans to introduce a stipend system, unlike the usual buy-in system used in other franchised esports leagues such as Overwatch and League of Legends.
Their goal is to partner with the best organizations in the world by providing financial support. "We will forgo any participation/franchising fees and instead provide financial stipends to the selected teams in return for their investment in growing the ecosystem."-Riot stated in their announcement.
Dot Esports reporter George Geddes reported that the stipend will be "in the six figures." According to his sources, there are teams with operating costs in the seven figures, so the stipend might not be very effective.
Riot plans to host three major international LAN leagues, where teams will compete to qualify for global events such as Masters and Champions. The three leagues will likely be held in America(NA, LATAM, Brazil), Europe(EU, CIS, Turkey, MENA), and Asia(Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, Oceania).
George Geddes also reported that each league would likely consist of eight to ten teams, similar to LEC or LCS in League of Legends.
The application process has already started and will last for the next couple of months. Towards the end of the year, Riot will select the teams that will participate in the inaugural season of the new format.
Besides the new format for top-tier teams, Riot announced an expansion to current Challengers and Game Changers(exclusive competition for women) systems.
Similarly to VRLs in Europe, Riot will implement domestic leagues in other regions in 2023. They plan to "connect regional competition to the new in-game tournament mode and introduce more domestic leagues worldwide."
This system will provide players with an easier path to pro and a suitable environment for talent to develop.
Time will tell if the changes are a step in the right direction and will "the League system" work for Valorant.
Stay tuned for more information on the new format and other Valorant content.