Leo Faria, Global Head of VALORANT Esports, expanded on China entering the esport during a pre-event VCT LOCK//IN press conference.
Several video games received licenses in China late in 2022. One of those is VALORANT, and with two Chinese teams invited to VCT LOCK//IN, the hopes for a China-based region in the FPS are higher than ever before. It seems like competitive VALORANT is not far off in the country, per Leo Faria, Global Head of VALORANT Esports.
Related articles
Leo Faria confirms that Riot is working on building competitive VALORANT in China
During the VCT LOCK//IN pre-event press conferences, leadership from Riot Games took the stage second. Leo Faria was one of the members at the table. Multiple questions were sent his way regarding China in VALORANT.
A member of the press asked him if to confirm if China will receive its own league and to discuss how it may fit into the bigger circuit:
"We are so excited about China. We just got the license for VALORANT, that we have been waiting for a few years now. It is one of the largest gaming markets in the world... We're building a plan for competitions in China right now. We still don't exactly how it will take shape, but of course we want to welcome China into the VCT."
Two Chinese teams were invited to LOCK//IN in the form of FunPlus Phoenix and EDward Gaming. Both are familiar with VCT competition, as FPX once had a strong grasp on the crown of EMEA, and EDG has competed in international VCT competition prior.
Another question came in to Leo, asking where China would compete in the current layout of the Champions Tour:
"There's a good chance they will become the fourth IL (International League) of the VCT in the future."
The expectations for China in terms of player base and participation are huge. It looks like Riot Games leadership is ready to include the area in their bigger plans and there is no doubt the region is ready to be involved.
Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage.
