"Opportunity to have robust ecosystem": Sukamal Pegu discusses Riot's goal with Valorant South Asia Circuit and importance of having multiple partners

It was recently announced that the official road to Valorant Champions Tour would be organized by Skyesports, bringing the region directly into the fold of the Champions Tour circuit. South Asian teams will be fighting it out to earn the opportunity to go to the Asia-Pacific Challengers and then further into the Masters Stage 2.

The Stage One event was a major success. Fans were treated to high-octane Valorant plays by talented rosters from the region.

With questions regarding what fans can expect in the upcoming event and new tournament organizers, I picked the brains of the man himself - Riot Games' South Asia Head of Publishing, Sukamal Pegu.

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Riot's Sukamal Pegu discusses publishers' aim of creating and nurturing ecosystem for competitive Valorant

Q: Starting with the raging question within the community, will we have different partners for different stages of the Tour?

Sukamal: When we began planning our structure for the 2022 Valorant Champions Tour circuit for South Asia, we aimed to create a robust ecosystem for the growth and flourishing of the Tournament Organizers from the region. We always intended to have a different partner for each stage of the South Asia 2022 Tour.

We believe it allows us to work with each partner who has been supporting Valorant since its launch in 2019.

And if this model is successful, you will see the same template being executed for our other games when we launch them here. We want to bring more such opportunities for our partners in the region.

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Q: How do you envision the structure of having new partners for every stage will affect the budding South Asian Valorant ecosystem?

Sukamal: Well, as I was saying, this structure of having different partners at each stage allows us to have a robust ecosystem of partners and Tournament Organizers in the region.

It lets potential partners know how much we value their contributions to our ecosystem. It also allows Riot and the partners to better understand how to work together to deliver some of the best experiences for our players and fans in the region.

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Q: What is Riot's approach to the upcoming road to VCT event in the South Asian region, especially with respect to last year?

Sukamal: Stage 1 showcased a new level of exciting competitiveness amongst talented rosters. We will continue to enhance the competitiveness with each stage.

I look forward to getting the best teams from South Asia to represent in Challengers Stage 2.

I am pretty excited about the format of the upcoming tournament, and I believe fans will be treated to a very different level of play from South Asian teams at this stage. More details on the format will be shared by our partners soon.