Riot Games have shared some disappointing news with the North American Valorant community. The two Oceanic teams scheduled to attend the upcoming VCT: Last Chance Qualifier, ORDER and Chiefs Esports Club, will not be able to make it after all.
The COVID-19 regulations, travel documentation issues, and other complications have prevented Riot from securing safe travel for these two Oceanic teams, and thus making it impossible for them to compete in the upcoming event. This will also impact the tournament, turning it into an 8 team event and potentially changing the format as well.
The Show Must Go On
Despite ORDER and Chiefs Esports Club not being able to play in the Valorant Champions Tour: NA Last Chance Qualifier, the tournament will continue as planned. Of course, there will be some adjustments.
The initial 10 team competition will be reduced to 8 teams. Riot Games have stated they’ll be releasing more details on the tournament format and broadcast schedule, so we might see some changes there too.
This unfortunate turn of events has not only prevented two teams from attending a single event, but has completely cut off the Oceanic region from even having a chance to compete in the Valorant Champions 2021.
Chiefs Esports Club and ORDER have issued a joint statement, expressing their disappointment and looking forward to an open dialogue with Riot.
While this is a very disappointing outcome, to a preventable scenario, we look forward to the open dialogue we now have with Riot to improve the opportunities for the OCE region and create a structured ecosystem with relevant global pathways.
A Lesson to Learn
When Riot Games came up with the idea of a year-long esports event, they introduced the Valorant Champions Tour. They knew what they were getting into, and they were ready. However, COVID-19 has been rampant and not making things any easier.
The Chiefs Esports Club and ORDER not being able to participate in the VCT: Last Chance Qualifier was an unfortunate outcome, but also a learning experience for Riot. They share the disappointment and have promised to compensate both organisations that were affected.
We share your disappointment in this outcome and will work towards bringing this exciting VALORANT region back for future events. We are grateful to each team for exhausting all available options in an attempt to attend. Both organisations will be compensated for this unfortunate outcome, and to recognize both teams’ strong seasons.
Hopefully Riot will learn from this unpleasant situation and ensure that something similar doesn’t happen in their next big Valorant event.
Could This Have Been Prevented?
This is the question that many must have asked themselves. What could have been done to prevent something like this?
Well, truth be told, no matter how prepared the organisation is there’s always that element of surprise and unpredictability. Furthermore, when the world is under the shroud of a pandemic, you simply never know what happens tomorrow.
Riot Games aren’t the only gaming company struggling to organise their events. Valve’s The International is one of the biggest esports events in the world, and even so, they struggled to find a suitable location for TI10. On top of that, Valve even had to cancel their ticket sales.
When everything is taken into account, Riot Games is still doing a great job. We can just hope they’ll use all the feedback from Valorant Champions Tour and introduce an even more spectacular event in the following year and make sure that all Valorant regions can compete on equal footing.
