Posted in: eSports, Games, Riot Games, Valorant, Video Games | Tagged: eSports, first strike, Riot Games, Valorant

Riot Games Announces Valorant: First Strike Tournaments For December

Published Sun, 27 Sep 2020 22:50:43 -0500

Riot Games revealed this past week they will be launching their own official esports competition for Valorant called First Strike. First Strike will be a global set of tournaments taking place across North America, Europe, CIS, Turkey, Asia, Oceania, Brazil, and the Middle East. Each region will be holding merit-based qualifiers culminating with multiple Riot-produced top eight First Strike Finals. Those will take place at the end of the year from December 3rd-6th, 2020. There doesn't appear to be any money on the line, as of when the info was released. Simply bragging rights to be the first official regional champions. You can read more about it below as we wait for more info on who will be participating.

A look at the First Strike logo, courtesy of Riot Games.

"Valorant is a deeply competitive title with global appeal and the necessary elements to become the next premier esport," said Whalen Rozelle, Senior Director of Esports at Riot Games. "First Strike will provide our thriving competitive ecosystem with the platform to showcase their greatness, build regional legacy, and a foundation that will support the esport for years to come."

"Esports remains one of the best investments we can make to support our community for the long term," said Anna Donlon, Executive Producer of Valorant. "As we've already seen from the Ignition Series, there's a huge demand and hunger for Valorant to be played at a professional level, and we're so excited to be starting that journey with fans, players, and organizations. As a development team, supporting the competitive world of Valorant is one of our top priorities, and we are committed to this journey."

First Strike will continue to build on the momentum of Valorant esports by leveraging a decade of Riot Games' industry-leading experience producing best-in-class esports events and broadcasts. Riot Games is also the largest global esports producer in the world, running and broadcasting weekly professional league competitions in multiple global regions, as well as winning multiple Emmys for the League of Legends World Championship, the world's most viewed esports event.

First Strike will be a global set of tournaments, composed of multiple regional finals taking place across North America, Europe, CIS, Turkey, Asia, Oceania, Brazil, and the Middle East. Each region will host a series of merit-based qualifiers, resulting in multiple Riot-produced, top eight First Strike Finals, running from December 3 – 6. The winners will earn the right to call themselves the first official regional Valorant champions. Both professional teams and aspiring amateur squads will have opportunities to qualify for the First Strike finals through online tournaments operated by premier esports organizations.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!