VALORANT is continuing to rise as a game and global esport, and so too does the thriving women’s scene, represented by the ecosystem’s most prestigious competition in Game Changers. Right now, eight of the best teams from around the world are in Berlin competing for the first Game Changers Championship on LAN with a $500,000 prize pool.
After Shopify Rebellion’s opening victory against Guild X yesterday, the Rebels’ newest addition in accomplished veteran Benita “bENITA” Novshadian talked to Dot Esports about her expectations for Game Changers next year. For her, the next step is obvious: North American Game Changers events on LAN.
“I love that Brazil is doing their [Game Changers] on LAN,” bENITA told Dot Esports. “I think NA deserves it. I think we’ve gotten to that point where each [NA Game Changers] needs to be on LAN now.”
Both series one and two of Game Changers Brazil this year took place on LAN, at the Riot Games Brazil Studio in Sao Paulo, which will coincidentally serve as the host city for the VCT 2023 Kickoff event in February. Team Liquid Brazil finished first in both series, and as the only team with extensive LAN experience this year, they’ve already secured a top-three finish at the Game Changers Championship at time of writing.
Brazil’s success in Berlin isn’t the only evidence of LAN experience translating to wins. The core of the G2 Gozen roster in juliano, mimi, and Petra have around a decade of FPS experience each with tons of matches played on LAN, and they too have secured a top-three finish in Berlin.
The Game Changers Championship is also a sign of how interested VALORANT fans are in any top-tier competition on LAN. Only halfway into day three of the event, it’s already set new records for peak viewership, hours watched, and average viewers for any Game Changers event, according to data gathered from Esports Charts.
Still, bENITA expressed appreciation for how far the scene has come: “A 500K LAN? Does it get any better than that? It’s absolutely amazing.”
As amazing as it’s been, the best might be yet to come.
Published: Nov 17, 2022 03:52 pm