The VALORANT Tier 2 competitive scene has not had an easy year. However, Riot Games reaffirms its commitment to Tier 2 and wants it to grow. For 2024, Riot Games will make an overhaul that includes year-round tournaments for level 2.
Riot Games reaffirms its commitment to VALORANT’s competitive tier 2 scene
Level 2 of VALORANT, Riot’s popular first-person shooter, will likely look very different by 2024. So, all game fans and the VALORANT Challengers ecosystem should be prepared to see some changes.
Right now, VALORANT level 2 is in the season’s final stretch. To bring this season to a close, we will see a small group of the world’s best teams at this level battle it out in the three Ascension competitions.
For Tier 2 teams and fans alike, it’s a shame the season at this level ends so quickly. Riot Games has noticed this, and the worldwide president of VALORANT esports, Leo Faria, has commented on some changes for the next season.
Leo Faria talks about changes for the 2024 season of VALORANT
According to Leo Faria, in the 2024 season, fewer teams will start planning for the season as early as halfway through the year.
Bo Hoogland, a former tier two team manager and VALORANT reporter contacted Faria, who confirmed that there will be a “big change” next year. In addition, Faria stated that an overhaul of the tier-two ecosystem will take place in 2024, so the entire community can expect year-round competition and a strong connection to Premier.
Details on the 2023 offseason are coming, but the big change comes next year with an overhaul of the tier 2 ecosystem with competitions year-round and a strong connection with Premier. I acknowledge this year is a bit tough, but we're very committed to making tier 2 thrive.
— Leo Faria (@lhfaria) June 6, 2023
On the other hand, Faria makes an effort to ease the concerns of both teams and players about the long gap between the conclusion of the Challenger seasons and the start of the off-season. Faria has stated that details of the off-season will be coming soon. According to the VALORANT esports website calendar, the off-season will start in September.
According to the information revealed by Faria, the OFF//SEASON was intentionally created to be long for all fans to miss watching professional VALORANT matches. On the other hand, he also confirmed that this long waiting period could hurt tier-two teams. On the other hand, Faria stated that Riot Games is looking into the possibility of a third division or moving up the start date of Challengers.
Many people, including Hoogland, have questioned the viability of the tier 2 scene and argue that there is no reason for organizations to continue paying tier 2 athletes to train, as there is no information about what will happen in the off-season.