Fans and supporters of the VALORANT Challengers ecosystem, the second tier of the professional scene of Riot Games’ popular first-person shooter, should expect to see tier two looking substantially different in 2024.
The 2023 tier-two season is winding down, and for only a select few teams across the world, the three Ascension events represent the last worthwhile pro VALORANT for squads at this level. But the global head of VALORANT esports, Leo Faria, promised today that next year, there won’t be so many teams looking toward the offseason already before the calendar year is even halfway over.
In a response to Bo Hoogland, a VALORANT reporter and former manager of a tier-two team, Faria confirmed there will be a “big change” next year “with an overhaul of the tier two ecosystem with competitions year-round and a strong connection with Premier.”
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Faria also said the details about the offseason for this year are coming, in an attempt to address concerns teams and players have about the long wait time between the end of the Challengers seasons and the start of the offseason. The offseason, officially dubbed OFF//SEASON, is seemingly set to start in September, according to a calendar on the official VALORANT esports site.
Faria said himself during an interview with the Plat Chat podcast that the OFF//SEASON was made to be purposefully long to make viewers miss watching VALORANT but acknowledged this could potentially negatively affect tier-two teams and the scene. As for 2024, Faria said Riot is actively considering either a third split or an earlier start date for Challengers.
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People like Hoogland have brought up concerns about the sustainability of the tier-two scene, claiming there is “no reason for organizations to keep paying players to practice” without any indication of what’s going to happen during the offseason.
