Valorant Game Changers Championship: Women’s Esports Thriving
Valorant is rapidly gaining popularity as a game and as a global esports phenomenon. The women’s scene is flourishing, exemplified by the prestigious Game Changers competition. Currently, the top eight teams from around the world are competing in Berlin for the first-ever Game Changers Championship with a $500,000 prize pool.
LAN Events: The Next Step for Game Changers
After the Shopify Rebellion’s impressive victory against Guild X yesterday, Benita “bENITA” Novshadian, the newest addition to the Rebels’ roster, spoke to about her expectations for Game Changers next year. She believes it’s time for North American Game Changers events to be held on LAN.
According to bENITA, she admires the fact that Brazil hosts their Game Changers events on LAN and believes that North America deserves the same opportunity. In her view, each NA Game Changers event should now be conducted on LAN.
Both series one and two of Game Changers Brazil this year were held on LAN, at the Riot Games Brazil Studio in Sao Paulo. Coincidentally, Sao Paulo will also host the VCT 2023 Kickoff event in February. Team Liquid Brazil emerged victorious in both series, and with their extensive LAN experience, they have already secured a top-three finish at the Game Changers Championship.
Brazil’s success in Berlin is a testament to the significance of LAN experience. The G2 Gozen roster, consisting of juliano, mimi, and Petra, has a decade of FPS experience each with numerous matches played on LAN, earning them a place in the top three in Berlin as well.
The Game Changers Championship demonstrates the intense interest of Valorant fans in top-tier LAN competitions. In just three days, it has already broken records in terms of peak viewership, hours watched, and average viewers for any Game Changers event, according to data from Esports Charts.
bENITA also expressed her appreciation for how far the scene has developed, stating, “A 500K LAN? Does it get any better than that? It’s absolutely amazing.”
While the current state of Valorant esports is remarkable, even greater things may be on the horizon.