Gaimin Gladiators sign VALORANT roster

Gaimin Gladiators have entered VALORANT esports with the signing of LaZe, a Sinagporian VALORANT roster set to compete in Stage 2 of Asia-Pacific Challengers.

Gaimin Gladiators has capped off a week of surprise announcements with the reveal of their newest acquisition — an APAC VALORANT roster. The team will debut in APAC Challengers Stage 2 starting on June 9.

Gaimin Gladiators reveal VALORANT roster

It’s been a busy few weeks for Gaimin Gladiators. The organization’s DoTA 2 team finished fourth at the ESL Stockholm event in late May. Then their Rainbow Six team made an appearance at the Gamers Without Borders North America event. Now, the Canadian organization has signed a VALORANT team in Singapore.

Formerly known as LaZe, the team had finished second in the Malaysia & Singapore Challengers event, earning them a place in APAC Stage 2 Challengers. There, they will compete with 19 other teams for two places at the Stage 2 Masters, set to take place in Copenhagen in July.

The move actually marks Gaimin’s third venture into APAC esports after acquiring 3RATS, an APAC Rocket League team, in February and a Rainbow Six Siege roster in March.

Gaimin Gladiators initially began as a Counter-Strike team in 2019. However, they have undergone significant expansion in 2022. Since January 2022, the organization has acquired teams in Rocket League, DoTA 2, Rainbow Six Siege, and Warcraft. As previously noted, many of these acquisitions have come in the APAC region.

Gaimin Gladiators is owned by Shawn Clements-Porter, who was a professional player for Team Liquid in the early 2010s. He now finds himself at the head of the a rapidly-expanding esports organization that has begun to make waves.

Potential in APAC VALORANT

Many view the APAC region as the dark horse of professional VALORANT. At the Stage 1 Masters in April, APAC representatives XERXIA beat eventual champions OpTic Gaming in the group stage. Meanwhile, the other APAC team, Paper Rex, went on to finish fourth at the event.

Gaimin Gladiators are clearly hoping that they can foster the next underdog out of the APAC region. While their goal will be to appear on the international stage, the APAC region is incredibly competitive and the fight for the top two places will be tough. If Gaimin want to succeed, they will likely to have to overcome one or both of the regional titans in Paper Rex and XERXIA.

Gaimin’s VALORANT journey will begin on June 15, when the APAC Stage 2 Challengers group stage gets underway. APAC Challengers continues until June 26, where two teams will earn their place at the Stage 2 Masters.

Header: Ray in Mainla, Gaimin Gladiators