Recently, Riot Games announced First Strike, the first official Valorant tournament organised and operated in-house by Riot Games. But what exactly is the difference between First Strike and Ignition Series tournament announced by Riot along with the public debut of the game?
Simply put, the answer is ‘control‘.
The Ignition series was held in partnership with local and regional esports organisers along with the world. As reported at an earlier date, “Riot Games has partnered with over 20 esports organizations across the world to create dedicated Valorant events in Ignition series. Each organization dotted across the map in 11 regions will bring it’s expertise to the table to add their unique twist to the Valorant’s Ignition Series.”
Riot Games bids adieu to the role of provider and a facilitator that it played in the Ignition Series. The publisher will step into the shoes of an organiser in with the First Strike, which means they’ll have absolute control over everything that happens in and around the tournament.
The overall quality, competitiveness, and the prize pool of the First Strike is expected to be way higher than that of an average Ignition Series tournament. However, just like the Ignition Series, the First Strike will be a global event set across North America, Europe, CIS, Turkey, Asia, Oceania, Brazil, and the Middle East.
“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. “The first Strike will provide our thriving competitive ecosystem with the platform to showcase their greatness, build a 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.”
Both Professional and non-aligned amateur teams will have the opportunity to qualify for the First Strike finals through “online tournaments operated by premier esports organizations.” Riot says that each region will host “a series of merit-based qualifiers” that will result in a Riot-produced, top eight finals that will run from Dec. 3 to 6.
The Valorant Ignition series will continue without any amendments and recieve full support from Riot Games.