The Valorant game just entered closed beta testing earlier in April. However, that hasn’t stopped its E-sports strategy. Now, ESPN is streaming on the Esport Valorant Invitational tournament on its Twitch channel. The tournament will start at 3:30 pm ET (1:00 am IST) on April 20 and will go on till April 22, at the same time each day.
While it is not a part of a larger circuit, the eight-team tournament will include a bunch of pro-level players. This includes Troy “Canadian” Jaroslawski, champion of Rainbow Six: Siege, and Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham, champion of Counter-Strike: Go. There is also Fortnite World Cup runner-up Harrison “Psalm” Chang.
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The Valorant competition will not be aired on television. Regardless, it still is a significant moment for the game and its players. Due to the early nature of the game, it is not widely available yet. However, scoring an invitation has become apparently a little easier than before. With the involvement of ESPN, things are heading in the right direction for Valorant. This may help the game get more consistent traction in the Esport scene moving forward.
Valorant gains quick popularity
The Riot Games first-person shooter was released on April 7, 2020, in a closed beta. While the game was initially available only in certain regions like Canada, Europe, Russia, Turkey, and the USA, things have changed. A more recent blog post announced that Beta Keys were no longer restricted.
“While we’re still running closed beta drops 24/7, please note that this change doesn’t increase the number of drops, just that you can watch any VALORANT stream to be eligible,” reads the blog. “As a reminder: drops happen at all times (even when you’re offline!), but only for players in Europe, Canada, United States, Turkey, Russia, and CIS countries.” The beta will be expanded to new regions, which include Brazil, LATAM, and Korea.
