The Power of the VALORANT Fanbase
When you think of ‘sweaty’ VALORANT players, you probably imagine the hardcore try-hards in Unrated or Swiftplay. But at Champions 2023, a different kind of ‘sweaty’ VALORANT fan emerged.
Riot Games organized a Fan Fest as part of VCT Champions, giving players of all skill levels a chance to meet up in the early hours of each morning during the finals. Despite the early start time, eager fans showed up in large numbers to be a part of the festivities.
What stood out the most was seeing fans who knew each other only from online interactions finally meet in person. Even members of the media, who had only communicated through digital press conferences, got to experience the excitement of meeting face-to-face.
In addition to the fan meet-ups, there was a significant amount of merchandise being sold at the event. This highlights the willingness of VALORANT fans to spend and provides hope for the esports industry, which has been facing challenging times.
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The esports industry has been going through a reset, which includes orgs shutting down, reduced salaries and content, and job losses. To survive, organizations need to find profitable avenues, and merchandise has proven to be one of them. Sentinels, for example, saw their profits increase significantly by selling merch.
At the Fan Fest, it was clear that a large portion of attendees were proudly wearing team jerseys or official VALORANT merchandise. The lines for merchandise were long, with fans rushing to grab high-value items like plushies and hoodies as soon as they entered the venue.
Saturday, being the grand finals and a weekend, saw the greatest influx of fans. The most popular jerseys belonged to Paper Rex, Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, Liquid, 100 Thieves, Cloud9, Sentinels, FaZe, and TSM. The demand for merchandise was high, with fans leaving with bags full of items.
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This shows that fans truly care about VALORANT and its esports scene, even if they may be more supportive of individual players rather than teams. While esports fans have been seen as stingy, their willingness to spend on merch and in-game items suggests a changing trend.
Esports orgs need to capitalize on merchandise sales and explore other avenues for profitability. The fact that fans are willing to stand in long lines in blistering heat to buy merchandise is a clear indication of the lucrative market potential for esports.
As a result, more organizations may be able to weather the esports winter than anticipated.