I spent the last few weeks at VCT Masters London. I've been in this franchise/partnership program since it began and this time our team made it too, so I wasn't there just as a fan of VALORANT.
When the partnership model first launched, everyone celebrated the stability. Guaranteed spots, predictable calendars, real budgets. What nobody said out loud is that the structure could deliver every bit of that and the economics could still fail. That's the version a lot of us in the league actually lived. The model kept its word. It just never promised the seat would pay for itself.
Now the closed circuit league era is ending. Eight partners, open qualifiers, earn your way back in. And for my part of the world, South Asia, there's a Last Chance Qualifier alongside Oceania, while that might not seem like a lot as someone who is from the region, the next few years are going to be way better for SA than the last few that much I can assure.
The thing SA learned the hard way just became the whole ecosystem's reality. Structure buys you time. It does not buy you outcomes.
Four years in VCT, 10 years in esports, and that's the lesson that took the longest to land. The badge/slot was never the achievement. You earn your seat's value every season or the model quietly moves on without you.
The orgs that walked in thinking the structure was the prize are the ones who won't last. The ones who treated the seat as a starting line will be fine. And some of the hungriest teams in the world are about to come out of exactly the regions that got told to go earn it.
Same in esports. Same in any business that ever confused access with advantage.
Access was never the advantage. It just felt like one for a while.
While things aren’t anywhere close to perfect, it’s way better than it was before and it keeps moving in the right direction provided you’re not stationary 🤷♂️
TLDR; You either git gud or get left behind (and this applies to everyone, us included)
RIP Indian Region. 🕊️
Yea "India will get a LCQ slot" but frankly there's no way we play in the VCT climbing through a LCQ slot. Vietnam got a slot but not India. 🤡 The Indian region is unofficially getting cornered. GG @RiotJaker@lhfaria.
No hate to fullsense, love crws and his team and root for them but the double standards of Pacific casters is funny. Always sprouting unneccessary bullshit when GE plays. Either do it for everyone or dont.
GE with new team formed 5 months ago with first playoffs, first masters and first bo5
Casters - "GE not fighting, salty tears of ge fans, Will ge get rounds"
FS with 100 years old core, 100th playoff, 100th int and bo5
Casters - " I like this from FS, They good.."
(1/2)
🚨OFFICIAL : PatMen sets a new record for the highest ACS in a single map. (516 ACS)
GE vs DFM on Breeze ; Middle Round 2 of VCT Pacific Kickoff 2026.
#VCTPacific#GEFighting#EarnEverything
Aftermath of Gaming x Cinema!🥳🎥
Thank you to all the fans who joined us for our VALORANT Watchparty at Miraj Cinemas and helped make this W even more special!❤️💙
This is just the beginning of #VCT2025. We’ll keep striving to bring you more epic wins and watchparties!
#GEWINNING #VCTPacific
Watch #VCT on a CINEMA SCREEN!! 😳
On 19th January, We are hosting a Watchparty of our first #VCT2025 match - VCT Kickoff - Global Esports vs Team Secret, at Miraj Cinemas Wadala, Mumbai, in a CINEMA HALL!
There is a lot more for the people who do show up. 😉
First come, first serve, NO ENTRY FEE.
#GEFighting #Watchparty #Mumbai #VCTPacific