Fans have criticized the VALORANT Champions 2025 venue in Paris for looking low budget. Riot’s Leo Faria explains why venue size came first.
Group stage upsets, MIBR's resurgence and Boaster fragging out are not the only surprises so far at VALORANT Champions. Fans on social media have been vocal about the noticeable dip in quality of the stage compared to last year. Riot Games' Global Head of VALORANT Esports Leo Faria explained why.
Venue Split Between Les Arènes and Accor Arena
For context, VALORANT Champions is being held in Paris, with two separate venues. The group stage and the playoffs (up until top 4) will be played in Les Arènes, while the top 4 will be played out in the 20,000 seater Accor Arena.
The split of matches between two venues was the same at VALORANT Champions in Seoul in 2024, however, fans have criticized this year's group stage venue for looking cheap and low budget.
Riot defends venue choice
In response to a question on X to know the motive behind the stage design on Sept. 17, Riot Games' Leo Faria shared that Riot Games chose the venue to fit more fans.
"Going to a studio gives us a more controlled environment for scenic, lights, LED, etc — resulting in a more polished show overall. But the tradeoff is size. Last year we hosted Champs groups and playoffs in a studio in Seoul, which looked great on camera, but could only fit 250 people," said Leo Faria, Global Head of VALORANT Esports.
Closer to the pros, bigger audience
Faria went on to say that based on community feedback they decided to prioritize size for VALORANT Champions 2025 and the ability for fans to be closer to pros.
"We’re in a venue that fits up to 3,000 people, the largest we’ve ever had for the first stages of the tournament."
"It will always be hard to fill out any venue anywhere in the world for 15 days (most entertainment acts like concerts visit cities for one or two nights and go next), but it should absolutely be popping for playoffs."
"Truth is, most esports will host the majority of their tournaments in a small LAN environment with no fans, and focus on a big event for a few days only. So it’s important to put things in perspective."
While Faria explained the stage design and venue choice was a deliberate decision, he said there were other areas Riot Games were actively working to improve.
"A few aspects of the show haven’t been up to our standards," said Faria. "For example, walkouts are lacking energy, and we’re making some changes to address that."
"if scale and spectacle matters to you, make sure to tune in for finals weekend at Accor," said Faria.
If the first few days are any indication, VALORANT Champions 2025 is proving that great gameplay can outshine production hiccups, but all eyes are now on Accor Arena to deliver the blockbuster finale.
