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Valorant Conquerors Championship is set to make a return to Riot Games' Valorant Champions Tour 2022 tournament circuit to provide representation for South Asian teams on a global scale.
VCC 2021 witnessed teams from various parts of South Asia compete for a singular spot in the APAC Last Chance Qualifiers before Valorant Champions 2021. Unlike the previous edition, Riot Games plans to reward the top 2 teams from VCC 2022 with a ticket to the APAC Challengers Playoffs at VCT 2022.
In a previous conversation with Sportskeeda Esports, Mr. Sukamal Pegu, Head of Publishing at Riot Games South Asia, gave his thoughts on the upcoming Valorant Conquerors Championship 2022 and the future of South Asian teams in Valorant esports.
Valorant Champions Tour 2022: 2 slots available for South Asian teams at APAC Challengers Playoffs
The Valorant Conquerors Championship was introduced in June 2020 in order to invoke participation from South Asian teams into the annual VCT tournament circuit hosted by Riot Games.
After the success brought in by the tournament, Riot Games are eager to provide the region with more opportunities to flourish. VCC 2021 witnessed Global Esports defeat their fellow Indian team Velocity Gaming in the finals of the tournament to earn a spot at the Asia-Pacific Last Chance Qualifiers.
Mr. Sukamal Pegu stated that Riot's efforts with the APAC LCQs were an experiment that would assert the quality that teams from the region have to offer. South Asian teams exceeded the expectations of Riot Games in all three categories they were looking for: participation, audience viewership, and the level of competitiveness.
He said:
"South Asia will be getting two slots this year, and none of this would have been possible without the support of the fans. Like everything that was brought to the region, may it be server launch, the launch of local payments, or be it unlocking grassroots tournaments, or even the VCC for that matter, they provided us with an overwhelming amount of support."
South Asia will have representation at various stages of VCT 2022, starting with Split 1 VCC. While the region will get a Split 2 as well alongside an LCQ, the details of the tournaments are yet to be decided.
Sukamal Pegu stated:
"We will have the qualifying circuit for South Asia, which will plug into the APAC Challenger Playoffs. This is where the top teams of all the regional circuits will fight for a slot at Master 1."
"Giving South Asia two slots for the APAC is our genuine way of saying 'thank you,' and I hope that this opens up a lot of opportunities for new teams and players to see what competitive esports in PC is all about."
With an additional slot offered to the South Asian region, participating teams will have a better chance of getting the necessary exposure. Instead of getting eliminated early on in the tournament, teams will get to play at a level they previously did not have the opportunity to in the typical subregional format.
