Narasi’s VALORANT docuseries delves into the journeys of three teams featuring Indonesian players throughout the 2023 season and provides insights into their future, all with English subtitles.
INDONESIA – Paper Rex, RRQ, and BOOM Esports have been featured on Najwa Shihab-owned media outlet Narasi for a three-episode docuseries on VALORANT Esports.
Established in 2017 by one of Indonesia’s distinguished television journalists and news anchors Najwa Shihab, Narasi stands out as a digital news and media company that also uniquely caters to the younger crowd in Indonesia.
Widely recognized for its acclaimed talk show Mata Najwa, Narasi has recently expanded its scope into esports specifically focusing on VALORANT. The episodes featuring RRQ and BOOM Esports have racked up hundreds of thousands of views since dropping last month, and the latest one stars none other than Paper Rex.
The VALORANT docuseries spans around 45 minutes across three episodes, taking a deep dive into the riveting journey of all three teams from the start to the present day.
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The story unfolds as RRQ and Paper Rex tackle the challenges of adapting to the new tier-one VCT Pacific circuit in Seoul, while BOOM Esports relentlessly strive to secure promotion into the prestigious league.
Nevertheless, each team faces their own unique challenges, including RRQ who proudly represent Indonesia at the pinnacle of VALORANT. Despite facing endless doubts from local and international fans, RRQ ended up making the most improvement among the ten competing teams last year, landing a respectable seventh place in the league and being one of the favorites in its LCQ. However, the excitement doesn’t end there—there’s still so much to look forward to and achieve this year.
“We really have to prove it because we are the only franchised team in Indonesia,” Saibani “fl1pzjder” Rahmad emphasized. “We have quite a lot of fans in Indonesia. I think there is quite a bit of pressure to perform, to prove, and to make the Indonesian people feel proud of us.”
On the other hand, BOOM Esports have long been regarded as the Indonesian dream team, initially ruling the domestic Challengers circuit in Indonesia and later earning the status of representatives at VCT Ascension Pacific last year. Despite their efforts in Bangkok, their quest to be promoted into the tier-one league alongside RRQ and PRX faced a setback when they fell short in the semi-finals, losing to the eventual champions, Bleed Esports.
“What makes BOOM Esports different from other teams is their persistence,” Indonesian caster Antonius “Son” Willson said. “Looking at other Indonesian teams, maybe even the top three in Indonesia, when they lose, they disband, and that is where BOOM Esports’ winning mentality appears to be. They started practicing six months prior to the tournament, even though they eventually lost. BOOM Esports are far more passionate about VALORANT; they believe more in the process that is actually really needed to become champions in this game.”
Paper Rex, though having represented the MY/SG region before the partnership era, always have strong ties with Indonesia, especially with two of their players originating from the country since the early days. They have ascended to the pinnacle of VALORANT fairly quickly, most notably securing victory in the 2023 VCT Pacific League and qualifying for numerous international tournaments with a diverse roster of members from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia.
“What I noticed is that PRX are one of the teams whose management and approach of playing and competing in VALORANT is considered one of the best. They just needed to continue what they had been doing to become the world champion later. Hopefully, 2024 is the year they can finally win an international trophy in VALORANT,” Paper Rex General Manager Indonesia Andi Andana “Sleepy” Bangsawan said.
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Cover photo courtesy of VCT Pacific
