Why did Riot Games cap the number of VCT franchised teams?

Last year, Riot Games announced a new VCT League featuring 30 partnered teams divided into three regions: Americas, EMEA, and Pacific. However, the announcement came as a surprise to many fans, as several well-known teams failed to secure a spot and blamed the limited number of spots in the league’s structure. Recently, Riot Games revealed the reasons behind the decision to restrict the number of franchised teams to 30.

In a lengthy blog post published by Riot Games on April 19, 2023, the future of esports was discussed, along with Riot’s plans for Worlds 2023 and beyond. Interestingly, the editorial piece did not come from Riot’s CEO but rather from John Needham, the President of Esports at Riot Games. He mentioned, how LoL Esports inspired them to cap the number of teams in the VCT Partnered League.

LoL Esports inspired Riot Games to cap VCT Partnered teams

John Needham emphasized the importance of digital esports content, which includes team-themed cosmetics from popular Riot events. These cosmetics generate significant revenue for Riot, as evidenced by three of the six most popular LoL skins being esports themed. During the Valorant Champions event, Riot introduced the champions bundle, which generated a total of $42 million in revenue. Additionally, DOTA2’s The International Battle Pass also attracts a lot of attention.

While generating revenue through team-themed content seems like a lucrative idea, creating digital esports content becomes more challenging as the number of teams increases. The LoL Esports ecosystem is a perfect example of this, with over a hundred teams competing. Riot was hesitant to allow a large number of teams in the VCT International League and instead focused on only 30 professional teams selected after analyzing various factors. This will make it easier to develop digital esports content for these teams.

What about Valorant partnered teams-based skins?

Earlier this year, we learned that Riot is reportedly working on introducing team-based skins, as well as gun buddies and player cards. The revenue generated from these cosmetics will be shared among the featured teams in large portions. While we’re eagerly awaiting this highly anticipated feature in our stores, there have been no fresh confirmations or updates from Riot so far.

However, In a recent blog post, Riot’s Needham provided a positive outlook on the importance of digital esports content, specifically team-based cosmetics. It’s possible that Riot is already working on creating such content, and believes that now is the right time to engage fans on this topic.

Currently, esports organizations rely heavily on external sponsors for revenue. However, the introduction of team-based skins could help them generate more revenue and achieve greater financial stability. By offering fans the chance to show their support for their favorite esports teams through in-game cosmetics, organizations could build stronger fan bases and create more opportunities for engagement. Ultimately, this could benefit both the organizations and the esports industry as a whole.

Header: Riot Games