VALORANT esports coming to China

At the end of 2022, China’s National Administration of Press and Publication gave the go-ahead for VALORANT’s arrival in this Asian country. This decision greatly benefits the game’s developers, Riot Games. This would mean significantly increasing the player base of their tactical shooter.

On the other hand, this directly impacts a competitive ecosystem that, until now, has not been announced.

Game license in China opens the door to a new league

Different Riot games received licenses to be published in China by the end of 2022. As mentioned, VALORANT was one of them, and with two teams from the region fighting as of today in VCT LOCK//IN Sao Paulo 2023, the Chinese community’s hopes for this tactical shooter are very high.

According to Leo Faria, Global Director of VALORANT Esports, competitive VALORANT is very close to coming to China. Faria said:

“We are so excited about China. We just got the license for VALORANT, which we have been waiting for for a few years. It is one of the largest gaming markets in the world… We’re building a plan for competitions in China right now. We still don’t exactly know how it will take shape, but we want to welcome China into the VCT”.

The invitation of two Chinese teams to VCT LOCK//IN Sao Paulo 2023 is a good sign

Chinese teams FunPlus Phoenix and EDward Gaming were invited to the VCT LOCK//IN Sao Paulo 2023. Both are familiar with VCT competitions, as EDG has previously participated in global VCT competitions, while FPX once won the EMEA crown.

This is an excellent sign for the Chinese region, which has just received the VALORANT license in the country. As we know, the esports community in this region is one of the largest in the world. There is no doubt that the number of teams would be spectacular. In addition, many sponsors could decide to venture into this shooter now that it is officially available in this Asian region.

On the other hand, Faria also mentioned that it is not yet known what the league might look like or how it would be integrated with the rest of the VCT circuits. Recall that China has had unofficial VALORANT competitions in previous years, allowing EDward Gaming to appear in last season’s VALORANT Champions.

Concerns about China joining the competitive scene

Some players and teams have indicated that they are concerned about China dominating the scene. For if this happens, it could lead to a lot of problems. All this is in the good sense of the word, as we all know Chinese athletes’ dedication and discipline towards any sport or esports.

One of the players who referred to this was Daniel “fRoD” Montaner, currently Head Coach of LOUD, who said:

“From my experience against Chinese teams (in CSGO), they are always very coordinated, have great tactics, and great individual skills. However, they are one of the toughest teams to play against, so if they get powerful in China, we’ll all have problems.”

Undoubtedly, this would be an excellent step for the VALORANT competitive scene. So we look forward to coming together as quickly as possible and having new teams to follow.

Header: Riot Games