06/09/2023
VALORANT is a hero-based first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by League of Legends publisher Riot Games. Teased in 2019 as ‘Project A’, VALORANT was officially released in 2020, and has quickly grown to have one of the biggest esports ecosystems in the genre.
Often compared to CS:GO, VALORANT combines Counter-Strike’s 5v5 tactical format with hero abilities that allow for different tactics and mechanics. VALORANT has quickly grown into a largely successful esports title, with Riot Games evolving the game’s competitive circuit yearly since the game launched.
The VALORANT competitive ecosystem is largely centralised in the hands of Riot Games, which runs and funds most tournaments and leagues. After a couple of years of adaptation, the company settled on the VALORANT Champions Tour, which now acts as the top tier of VALORANT esports.