VALORANT, RiotGames’ latest release, will be hosted in a three-day event this weekend September 11th-13th. This Ignition series tournament will be hosted by Danish organiser BLAST, on Twitch.tv. RiotGames and BLAST partner up to pit four teams against each other for a prize of €50,000($58,890.) The teams: Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Liquid, G2 Esports and FunPlus Phoenix will face-off in a best-of-three bracket leading into a traditional best-of-five finale. The series will only be available on Twitch so make sure you log in on Friday, Sept 11th to check it out!
BLAST Director of Product and Experience, Nicolas Estrup, stated that “VALORANT has enjoyed record-breaking success since its launch...” He believes that BLAST will be able to lead the way in tournament production with their “...fan-first approach.” The company has almost exclusively hosted CS:GO events in the past, you could bet on CS:GO if you fancied a flutter, with an expansion into Dota 2 earlier this year, so it only makes sense that they would be behind a similar title like VALORANT. It will be interesting to see how the team at BLASTapproaches the game that has the bones of CS:GO and the polish and innovation of Overwatch.
Cloud9’s CS:GO division gets a new member as Henry “HenryG” Greer announces his retirement as a six-year CS:GO caster and steps into the role of general manager. Alongside him, Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunovic, former coach of 100 Thieves and new coach for C9, plans to re-tool and develop the new roster. During an interview with Dexerto, Greer stated he was ambitious in his vision for the team and said: “The Cloud9 Brand speaks for itself, it is one of the absolute cornerstones of the esports landscape.”
Cloud9 was founded in 2013 and has since grown to become one of the most notable esports organizations on the planet. They offer professional teams in League of Legends, CS:GO, and Hearthstone, amongst many other titles. The company is no stranger to success, boasting a myriad of honours, achievements and tournament wins over the years.