The Japanese-Korean combine will soon compete in VCT Game Changers Japan.
JAPAN – IGZIST has entered the female scene with the signing of YOME, onni, Maripo, Meru, and ZIAN to make up IGZIST Female. All five players arrive at the competition as unknown prospects to the scene as the VCT Game Changers APAC circuit limits participation from Korean, Chinese, and Japanese teams since its inception. With Japan now having its own exclusive circuit, their names will clearly appear more often in the Game Changers discussions.
VCT Game Changers Japan was first announced in late March, where the top teams will then qualify for VCT Game Changers East Asia, featuring teams from Japan, China, and South Korea. Since then, many Japanese organizations have been scouting for Game Changers players in the region, including REIGNITE, IGZIST, NORTHEPTION, and ZETA DIVISION.
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The Game Changers initiative has created new opportunities and exposure for women and other marginalized genders within the ecosystem. The inclusivity created by VCT Game Changers can be reflected in the proportion of women in attendance at the most recent VCT Masters Copenhagen. Vice President of Dignitas and world-renowned observer Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo was the first person to point this out, calling it “the highest percent I have ever seen in my 20 years of esports.”
Furthermore, it was a huge success for the APAC region. According to FSL, as the circuit organizer, more than 757 players from 20 different countries participated in the 2021 edition of the APAC circuit alone. Riot Games certainly hopes that Game Changers can achieve the same degree of success in East Asia, where Japan, in particular, has shown enormous enthusiasm for VALORANT Esports, and China is undeniably one of VALORANT’s most promising untapped markets in Asia.
YOME and co. are slated to make their first appearance under IGZIST in the upcoming VCT Game Changers Japan, which is set to be held on August 6-7. A prize pool of JP¥1,000,000 and two spots in VCT Game Changers East Asia will be on the line for the event.
The new female IGZIST lineup looks as follows:
- 🇯🇵 “YOME“
- 🇯🇵 “onni“
- 🇯🇵 “Maripo“
- 🇯🇵 “Meru” (めるぬんてぃうす)
- 🇰🇷 “ZIAN“
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Cover photo courtesy of IGZIST
