ACEND exit VALORANT esports citing ‘hostile’ ecosystem, lack of tier-2 support

Inaugural VALORANT Champions-winning organization ACEND Club is departing the esport ahead of the 2025 season, describing the shooter’s competitive ecosystem as “hostile” in an exit statement that has sent shockwaves through the community.

The European org announced its pro VALORANT departure on Sept. 16, citing the esport’s extended offseason, “tiny” prize pools, and overblown salary expectations of VCT players as reasons why the org cannot justify chasing a slot in Riot’s partnered league. “The increasingly hostile ecosystem has simply made it untenable to responsibly run a team.”

The org reflected on its time in VALORANT which began in 2021, acquiring the Raise Your Edge roster that would make history by claiming the first Champions title over Gambit. But, despite the team’s accomplishments, they were unable to back up in 2022 and after numerous big name departures, were forced to rebuild from near-scratch.

Acend was then denied VALORANT partnership for Riot’s VCT Partnership, describing the news as a “huge blow since our players were highly coveted as former champions.” They fought on through Riot’s Challenger ecosystem but fell short of Ascending in 2023. Ultimately, after “alarming signs of decay” in 2024 below the VCT tier, Acend is pulling the plug.

“It’s a shame this had to happen. [I] wish we could turn back time and do better to keep sending it all the way to franchise,” former Acend and current Go Next Esports player zeek said on X/Twitter after the announcement went live, with then-teammate cNed and coach Nbs echoing his sentiment.

Making it to the VCT is proving to be a necessity for orgs to remain viable in VALORANT. Revenue sharing through team bundle sales and the lofty prize pools in tier one competition aside, the incentive to remain truly competitive in tier two is solely based on making it to Ascension and battling for a coveted spot in the league above.

This comes after Riot’s rebuild of the pathways connecting the VCT to tier two with stipulations for academy teams, player loans, and more, but Acend’s departure today suggests the rebuild isn’t working.

It’s not all over for Acend in VALORANT entirely, with a staff member confirming on Reddit that the org’s content team will stay active in the title, but the community will be mourning the loss of a big player in the scene for some time. We’ll see if this warrants another rework or response on Riot’s end regarding the Challenger scene as the 2025 season approaches.