Riot Games Announces Exciting Changes for VALORANT Champions Tour 2022
Riot Games and its VALORANT esports department have unveiled their plans for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) in 2022. This second VCT campaign will bring about a range of new and exciting changes.
New Format for Challengers
Based on player and supporter feedback, Riot Games has made significant changes to the Challengers format. Each regional Challengers “split” will now include a single open qualifier, followed by multiple weeks of league-style play between the top teams. At the end of each split, there will be a Challengers Finals to determine the split’s winner and which teams will represent their region in the Masters events.
Masters Events in April and July
The 2022 VCT will feature two Masters events in April and July. These events will continue the tradition of offline international competitions, similar to Masters Two and Three in the previous year. The 2022 Masters events will serve as a lead-up to Champions 2022, which is scheduled for September.
Offseason Tournament Series
After Champions 2022, the rest of the year will be dedicated to a new offseason tournament series. This series will be organized in collaboration with third-party tournament organizers to recreate the atmosphere of the Ignition series that took place in 2020. These events will provide opportunities for new, existing, and re-tooling teams to test their skills during the offseason.
Development of Amateur and Women’s Scenes
Riot Games is committed to further developing the amateur and women’s scenes in VALORANT esports. The company plans to invest in new country-based leagues to foster domestic talent, following the successful model of national leagues in League of Legends. Initially, the focus will be on European teams, with plans to expand to other regions. Riot is also expanding Game Changers, with an international women’s tournament scheduled for the end of 2022.
The 2022 VCT campaign kicks off in February with the first Challengers split. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
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