Premier is expected to become a major part of VALORANT’s competitive landscape, starting with Episode 6 Act 3.
SINGAPORE – Riot Games has revealed its latest plan to launch Premier, VALORANT’s new in-game tournament mode, with Episode 6 Act 3. The new competitive mode is designed to provide an integrated, clear, and structured path for players to showcase their skills and get noticed by professional teams, creating new opportunities for aspiring professional players worldwide.
Premier mode will enter its global beta testing phase around this summer, with Riot having already tested the mode on Brazilian servers late last year.
Similar to tournament platforms like FACEIT, Premier allows players to create their own teams, personalize them with unique logos and colors, and compete in a season of pre-scheduled matches. After assembling a team of five players, they will be placed in a division according to their skill level and will compete across a persistent season consisting of weekly matches and tournaments to qualify for the end-of-season tournament, where they battle for the title of Division Champion.
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By performing well in Premier mode, players can earn their way to higher levels of competition, including the Challenger leagues, International leagues, and possibly even the Champions. This is a significant development for aspiring professional players who previously had to participate in open qualifiers to reach higher levels of competition.
The announcement was made in a video featuring Andy Ho, the Game Director for VALORANT, and Leo Faria, the head of VALORANT Esports. “Premier will be VALORANT’s team-based competitive system that connects the game and the sport as one greater whole. This new challenge will invite you to build a team and compete throughout the Act in a series of weekly matches on designated maps.” Ho said.
“In the future, Premier will be the path to the VCT Challenger league—no more open qualifier events. Your path to pro starts in-game, and if you do great, you get a shot at Challengers. Once you’re there, well, you’re playing with the pros, and nothing can stop you. From the Challenger leagues, you can promote into the international leagues and, one day, even get to Champions.
So it’s five friends and a dream playing from their bedrooms all the way up to the biggest stage in VALORANT. It will, of course, take us some time to make this a reality, but we are incredibly excited to build this very unique path of pro and create opportunities for players all around the world.” Faria said.
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Cover photo courtesy of VALORANT
