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The Indian region is wildly popular in Valorant. The game has seen a consistent presence in the gaming scene of India ever since its release in 2020. An esports circuit for the game quickly emerged in India, with various tournaments being held. India has remained one of the most talked about playerbase in Valorant for its extensive and passionate players.
Despite this, the region has never had a breakout moment in the game's esports scene. None of the players in the region have established themselves on the international stage, and hardly any team from the Indian Valorant scene can put up a good fight against the rest of the world.
Where does the problem lie with the Indian Tier 2 Valorant scene?
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There have been plenty of issues with the Indian Tier 2 Valorant scene over the past years. One of the significant concerns includes the lack of depth in the gameplay shown by the Indian region when compared with other Asian areas.
The Indian scene has been unable to keep up with the meta and purely relies on high-fragging individuals. The concept of strong utility usage and coordinated efforts is quite hard to notice in the gameplay of Indian teams.
The strongest team in the region, Orangutan, went winless in their Ascension group. While it can be argued that the team had to face two grand finalists in SCARZ and Bleed Esports, Orangutan did not show an inspiring performance in the macro department and relied heavily on individual brilliance.
This does not bode well for a scene still in the development process. The Indian region has also gone stagnant when it comes to developing young talent. The likes of Deathmaker and Rawfiul still dominate regionally while they have thoroughly been outclassed in international tournaments. The lack of a structured league makes finding up-and-coming talent a problematic task.
Another problem in the scene includes poorly organized tournaments and a lot of logistical inequalities present in the scene. As highlighted by famous Game Changers caster Kaavya "Zahk" Karthikeyan in a twit-longer back in 2022, tournament organizers offered meager pay for extensive work, and sexism was rampant in the industry.
Payments were also not rolled out in time, and cronyism was a lingering evil in almost every tournament. A common occurrence in all Indian tournaments is their subpar production, including poor stream quality leading to a negative viewing experience.
Possible changes that can be implemented in the Indian Tier 2 Valorant scene
A host of issues must be fixed to see the Indian Tier 2 Valorant scene move in a positive direction. First and foremost, a proper structure to facilitate and scout young talents in the region must be established to streamline players constantly. These players can revitalize the competition, and hidden gems can be unearthed in this way.
For this, popular investors could look into creating their teams and promoting the game to attract a wider audience. A step in the right direction includes Tiger Shroff's involvement in the scene by investing in Revenant Esports.
Tournaments must also be appropriately organized to entice workers to support the scene and keep the audience engaged. Better stream quality leads to a good viewing experience, bringing more eyes to the Indian region. Equal pay cuts and a structured functioning of tournaments can entice more popular tournament organizers to invest in the Indian Tier 2 Valorant scene.
The future of the Indian Tier 2 Valorant scene
After a mediocre end to the 2023 season courtesy of Orangutan's early elimination in VCT Ascension, the future looks uncertain for the Indian region. Teams such as Velocity Gaming have released their entire roster. If things continue to remain as it is, the scene's future looks bleak in terms of performing well in the Pacific region.
The Indian Tier 2 Valorant scene has the tools to turn it around and bring the region onto the right track, but only time will tell whether this can unfold for the betterment of the players and teams in the circuit.
