VALORANT Premier could dictate the future of the esports scene

A few weeks ago, Riot Games revealed details about the VALORANT Premier – an in-game competitive system allowing players to form teams and compete for glory. The announcement of the new system comes at an exciting time as VALORANT’s partnered leagues significantly closed off its esports ecosystem to a few teams and pro players.

VALORANT Premier: What is it and how to participate?

VALORANT Premier is an in-game competitive system allowing players to band together in teams of five and compete. Players who have played League of Legends might be familiar with this system as it’s essentially the LoL Clash but on VALORANT.

Currently in a global beta stage test, Riot Games has confirmed that it will be released in “a few months” during Act III, Episode six. The basic format for it includes an act-long tournament with a series of weekly matches.

Matches will be played only on designated matches. Teams which win a high number of premier matches will qualify for a playoff tournament. This will be held at the end of the act and a winner will be crowned. Additionally, the Premier will feature different skill divisions to match players with teams on a similar footing.

VALORANT Premier is the new path to PRO

One thing that sets VALORANT Premier apart from Clash in League of Legends is the stakes. VALORANT’s head of esports, Leo Faria, has said that the future of the feature involves making it the path to pro for all aspiring professional players. Thus, players will compete in the VALORANT Premier to make it to the VCT Challengers leagues in different regions.

This ambitious plan will make VALORANT’s esports ecosystem very accessible, and its announcement comes at a very good time. From 2023, Riot has introduced the partnered leagues, namely the VCT EMEA, Americas, and VCT Pacific.

Each league contains 10 partnered teams, which will not face relegation of any sort even if they perform badly. Instead, until 2028, a single new team will be added.

Thus, the new VCT circuit has significantly closed off the esports ecosystem to a few esports organizations. It has made it significantly tougher for new teams to rise and compete in the biggest stages of VALORANT esports.

The introduction of VALORANT Premier is a welcome indication that Riot is still looking at growing the game from the grassroots level and supporting the ecosystem. While the new feature doesn’t address the lack of accessibility of the three partnered leagues, it promises to bring more people into VALORANT esports.

A good sign for the future of VALORANT esports

With competing in the Challengers leagues being so accessible, players will band together to compete for better and higher stakes competition. This will drive the engagement levels of the VALORANT esports ecosystem. In turn, it will contribute to higher viewerships of the smaller Challengers leagues as well.

When will this happen, though, remains a question. Riot has said that the beta will be arriving in a few months. This could last for a long time, especially if there are any issues with the system.

“It will, of course, take us some time to make this a reality, but we are incredibly excited to build this very unique path to pro and create opportunities for players around the world,” said Faria.

The community’s reaction to the new feature has been wholly positive as well. Its success, however, can only be observed when it releases completely.