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Riot Games introduced its Valorant Partnership Program earlier this year to promote the growth of both the esports ecosystem and its associates' businesses. To become a partner, qualified organizations have to pay a participation fee for the program in their regional circuit.
By doing this, the teams will receive benefits like collaborations on in-game items and the opportunity to circulate branded team content. Whalen Rozelle, Head of Esports Operations at Riot Games, said the following in April:
“We have designed our long-term partnership model for Valorant, so teams can thrive and build their business alongside the overall growth of Valorant Esports.”
A lot of time has passed since the introduction of the program. And many teams have been shortlisted to join it. This now includes Sentinels, Gen.G Esports, and XSET, as Riot Games' potential candidates for program.
Valorant program shortlist grows longer
As per reports that have presented themselves so far, popular teams like NRG, TSM, The Guard, Version1, and Cloud9 were the first ones to be selected for the partnership program. However, new names have now joined them: Sentinels, Gen.G Esports, and XSET.
None of this information has been officially revealed by these organizations themselves at the time of writing, as the people behind them have signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement. This is why information regarding financial matters has not surfaced yet. The aforementioned teams will further discuss their monetary situation so that Riot Games can give their final verdict.
However, this addition of the partnership program has also made a negative impact, with the absence of teams like NYXL and SoaR from the esports scene at the moment.
John Needham, President of Esports at Riot Games, has previously explained the motive behind the program from their end, saying:
“Together, all these elements will contribute to a competitive ecosystem that will position Valorant for its next stage of growth. We want to build the top level of competition that will provide more exciting matches, new events that will thrill live audiences, and engaging experiences for millions of online fans.”
With all this said, Riot Games is mostly focused on providing a top-tier Valorant experience for everyone and increasing the game's popularity overall. Moreover, the developers also have the motivation to promote their esports ecosystem so everyone can thrive in it.
