Sponsors have heavily invested in competitive VALORANT and Esports Charts has delivered the data that proves it.
Without sponsors, esports leagues and organizations more than likely wouldn't have the funding to operate. They're the driving force behind the competitive gaming that we know and love. This is becoming clearer by the day, especially when you look at the amount of sponsors involved in VALORANT.
Esports Charts, notorious for delivering out-of-this-world statistics like peak viewership, team matches played, and more, dug out a lot of data regarding sponsors in the VALORANT Champions Tour. The VCT International Leagues consist of 30 teams across three regions, each with a variety of sponsors on their side.
A look at team sponsors across the VALORANT Champions Tour
At the time they processed the data, Esports Charts found 167 unique sponsors across each VALORANT Champions Tour International League team. Some find themselves on multiple teams, bringing the total to 214 partnerships.
The sponsorships vastly differ across the regions. The Pacific League teams have just under 100. EMEA and Americas teams are closer together with 64 and 52 respectively. Esports Charts reports that DetonatioN FocusMe has a total of 25 sponsors, the most of any team in the entire VCT. They also mention that Global Esports is the only team with zero sponsors.
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What are the most common sponsors?
The over 200 total sponsorships in the VCT are quite diverse. You'll see sponsorships from gaming equipment companies, beverage and food brands, and even financial businesses. Of course, those found the most across the first-person shooter's competitive landscape are all things gamers are known to be fond of.
It makes perfect sense that the likes of Secretlab, Red Bull, and Monster Energy are in the top five. The first two aren't just sponsors for the teams either. They also find themselves as sponsors for VCT broadcasts. Most notable among them is the Red Bull Clutch that pops up whenever a player wins a round where they're outnumbered.
It is a bit surprising to see that both Secretlab and Red Bull only sponsor seven teams in the main competitive VALORANT circuit, but it is no surprise that they are the two brands that appear on the most team jerseys. Comfy chairs and energy drinks are a must.
An interesting tidbit to point out is that most of the top sponsors have at least one team across all three VALORANT regions. The exception to that is Kingston, JBL, and Chupa Chups. None of them sponsor a Pacific League team and the latter partners with three teams in only EMEA.
The impact of sponsors in competitive esports
The importance of sponsors in competitive esports such as VALORANT must not be understated. Sponsorships work both ways. The companies can advertise and bring eyes to the gaming league or organization. Then the team can return the favor and direct its fans to the sponsors' products.
In a time when many believe competitive gaming is in limbo, VALORANT is a beacon of hope. From viewership to revenue, Riot Games is doing a great job at making sponsors feel impactful. This does nothing but open the door for those sponsors to consider investing in other areas of gaming, like teams and leagues for other titles.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage.
