Gaming PC manufacturer iBUYPOWER has joined VCT Americas as the international VALORANT league’s official PC sponsor and is giving fans the opportunity to win a free “VCT Americas Spec-Approved” gaming PC with every ace this season.
IBUYPOWER is now the official gaming PC for VCT Americas and both Game Changers North America and Game Changers Brazil, according to an official press release. IBUYPOWER will provide the on-stage computers used in competition throughout the VCT Americas season, including the playoffs, and will host more “community engagement events” where players can earn in-game and real-life prizes.
Going forward, viewers should expect any aces to be branded as an “iBUYPOWER ace” in a similar vein to a “Red Bull clutch.” Fans in both the U.S. and Canada will be eligible to win a PC after an ace this year, while supplies last. Full details surrounding the giveaway have not been announced yet but should be revealed soon with the season set to start on Friday, Feb. 16.
While the news is good for the VCT Americas league as it picks up a major sponsor and could see a small viewership buff thanks to the potential for giveaways, there’s a small number of longtime FPS fans who thought iBUYPOWER might be returning to competition after the company teased today’s announcement with the iconic “contract signing” image.
IBUYPOWER previously sponsored a professional North American Counter-Strike team starting in 2013, but the players and the iBUYPOWER name became synonymous with the infamous NA match-fixing scandal. Several of the banned players, including former 100T and Disguised player steel, switched to VALORANT years later, though steel’s ban from Valve events is set to expire in January 2025.
While the premise appeared very unlikely, there were a few fans online who thought that maybe iBUYPOWER might return to CS2 or sign a VALORANT roster. Since the match-fixing scandal, iBUYPOWER has only briefly sponsored a professional Rocket League team from 2015 to 2016.
