Riot removes TALON from VCT Pacific after repeated financial failures

Riot Games has cut ties with TALON Esports’ VALORANT division, ending the organization’s stint as a partnered team in VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific after repeated financial issues and delayed player payments came to light.

On Nov. 18, 2025, Riot announced that TALON’s partnership agreement with VCT has been terminated, stripping the team of its VCT Pacific league slot with immediate effect. The move follows what Riot describes as a failure by the organization to operate in line with league standards, as mentioned in their official post.

“TALON’s failure to operate and manage its team in accordance with league standards, including a pattern of significantly overdue payments to players and an inability to demonstrate sufficient financial capacity to continue participating in the VCT,” Riot said in the statement.

Riot learned of the org’s financial issues, and they have spent more than a month working with them, even granting extensions to allow TALON to prove it could stabilize and meet its obligations. However, the APAC org ultimately fell short of those requirements.

Jake Sin, Head of APAC VALORANT Esports, said in his post, “This was a really tough decision, and it comes after weeks of working closely with TALON to try to resolve their issues. Ultimately, we had to make the call, but we wish TALON nothing but the best going forward and are grateful for everything they brought to the league.”

In TALON’s X post, the org accepted Riot’s decision and said they “appreciate their continued efforts and collaboration over the past month to address outstanding issues,” adding that they “remain confident that these matters can be resolved” while expressing respect for Riot’s decision.

Riot also said that the current TALON VALORANT roster has been informed of the decision, and the players are free to look for new homes elsewhere. The current roster includes Thanamethk “Crws” Mahatthananuyut, Tanate “Killua” Teerasawad, Anupong “thyy” Preamsak, Jittana “JitBoyS” Nokngam, Papaphat “primmie” Sriprapha, and Thanachart “Surf” Rungapajaratkul as sub.

Jake said, “I have spoken directly with the affected players about their options. They are more than welcome in our ecosystem, whether as part of another team or even across multiple teams.”

TALON assured that they will support the players in their search for another organization. “Our current priority is to ensure our talented roster can compete as a team under a new organization for the upcoming season. We are coordinating with Riot to facilitate a smooth transition and will provide whatever additional support to our players.”

The VCT Pacific won’t be short-handed for long as Riot has already begun the process of finding a new partner to fill TALON’s slot. The company has sent out invitations to several APAC organizations as part of a “selective competitive application process.”

According to Jake’s X post, their priority is to “identify a team that can resonate with our Thai community to ensure we maintain representation in VCT Pacific.” Ultimately, they will share which team joins the VCT Pacific partnership pool once their review is complete.

TALON’s exit marks one of the most significant partnership removals in VALORANT esports so far, especially for a team that has been present over the last few seasons.