Who are the VALORANT VCT Pacific partner teams?

In 2022, VALORANT publisher Riot Games has unveiled its list of partner teams which will compete across three international leagues: EMEA, the Americas and Pacific.

Ahead of the 2024 season, the ecosystem added another international league, VCT China, with three new promoted teams added to VALORANT’s existing competitions. The publisher’s quasi-franchised system looks to continue the growth of VALORANT esports by providing long-term support, stability and revenue opportunities to organisations selected by Riot.

But who actually are the chosen teams that have been selected to represent the Pacific (Asia)? And who are VCT Pacfic’s newcomers BLEED Esports? This article provides a brief background and history of VCT Pacific’s partner teams. 

Entering the esports sector in 2003, T1 is one of the most prominent esports organisations in the world. Despite being mostly known for its success in South Korea, the organisation is operated through a joint venture between SK Telecom and American sports and entertainment company Comcast Spectacor. 

Most of its major accolades come from League of Legends, with T1 claiming four World Championships (2013, 2015, 2016 and 2023), alongside 10 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) titles.

Before VCT Pacifc’s introduction in 2023, T1 competed in VALORANT’S North American region from 2020. The organisation was a regular within VCT 2021, competing at a range of Challenger events. In 2022, the organisation primarily took part in middle-to-lower-tier VALORANT tournaments within the region. Last year, the organisation placed 3rd in VCT Pacific, qualifying for both VCT Masters Tokyo and VALORANT Champions 2023.

DRX entered the VALORANT scene in early 2022 and quickly made a name for itself as the best Korean team, as well as a fierce competitor internationally. After winning Korea’s 2022 VCT Challengers Stage 1 and 2, the organisation went on to represent the region at VALORANT Champions Istanbul, placing third in the tournament.

In 2023, the organisation’s momentum continued by placing 2nd in the inaugural VCT Pacific League, whilst also qualifying for VCT Masters Tokyo and VALORANT Champions 2023.

DRX was officially born when esports organisation Longzhu Gaming was purchased by Chinese smartphone producer Kingzone in 2018. Similarly to T1, DRX also has a well-known League of Legends division and is a one-time World Champion in 2022.

The third Korean representative within VCL Pacific is Gen.G. Founded in 2017, the organisation competes primarily within Asia, housing rosters in NBA 2K, League of Legends, PUBG Battlegrounds and VALORANT. 

Following a trend set by DRX and T1, Gen.G is also a former LCK champion, having won thre Korean League of Legends league titles (Summer 2022, Spring 2023, Summer 2023). Despite being largely based in Asia — although the organisation does have a hub in California — its VALORANT operations prior to VCT Pacific took place in North America.

Throughout 2021, Gen.G’s roster competed in VCT Challengers, but failed to make it to a Masters event. In 2022, the organisation took part in Challenger qualifiers and other lower-tier events. Last year, Gen.G finished 4th in the 2023 VCT Pacific League, failing to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2023.

One of Japan’s two representatives in VCT Pacific, ZETA DIVISION quickly became a fan favourite due to its third-place finish at VCT 2022 Masters Reykjavík.

The organisation has competed in the VALORANT scene since 2020 and has qualified for four international events, including VALORANT Champions 2023 after winning VCT Pacific’s last chance qualifier. In the league itself, ZETA DIVISION placed 5th/6th.

Outside of VALORANT, the organisation has been operating esports teams since 2018. ZETA recently has found most of its success in Brawl Stars, recently winning the game’s 2023 World Championship, however, the organisation also has competitive rosters in Super Smash Bros and Fortnite. 

DetonatioN Gaming is seen by many as a legacy organisation within Japan, having been in the industry since 2012. After originally being established as a Counter-Strike Online organisation, DetonatioN Gaming rose to prominence in League of Legends as DetonatioN FocusMe. Competing, and dominating, in the League of Legends Japan League (LJL), the organisation has qualified for the League of Legends World Championships on five occasions — 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.  

Within VALORANT, DetonatioN Gaming has had a rocky transition. After entering the scene in 2020, the organisation reorganised its division in 2021. Shortly after, DetonatioN Gaming came back in 2022 under the new moniker DetonatioN Gaming White, however, the organisation failed to make a significant impact.

Last year, the organisation placed 10th in the VCT Pacific League, recording a 0-9 record.

From a Western audience perspective, Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ) may be one of the least-known esports organisations on this list. However, the Southeast Asian powerhouse has amassed a popular fanbase across mobile esports titles, most notably Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and PUBG Mobile. Since its formation in 2013, some of RRQ’s crowning moments include winning the 2018 PUBG Mobile Star Challenge, MPL Indonesia seasons 2, 5, 6 and 9 (MLBB), and the Wild Circuit Asian Invitational 2022 (Wild Rift).

Similarly to DetonatioN Gaming, RRG also said a brief farewell to the VALORANT scene in 2021 after releasing its Indonesian roster. However, soon after, the organisation ventured into the Philippines scene at the beginning of 2022. That same year, the RRQ finished 8th/9th at VCT 2022: APAC Stage 2 Challengers.

In 2023, the organisation placed 7th in the VCT Pacific League.

Founded in 2016, Hong Kong-based Talon Esports is a highly regarded esports organisation that represents the Asia Pacifc region.

Alongside its three LoL World Championship appearances with PSG Talon, the organisation has achieved multiple milestones in Dota 2 and Arena of Valor. This includes reaching 2022’s Dota 2 The International for the first time as well as winning 2021’s Arena of Valor World Cup and the Arena of Valor International Championship 2023.

Other titles that the organisation competes in include Rainbow Six Siege, Tekken 8, Dota 2 and Street Fighter V.

Talon Esports ventured into VALORANT in March 2022 before being accepted into VCT Pacific. Despite successes in other games, the organisation placed 9th in the 2023 VCT Pacific league.

Perhaps one of the more surprising names that made the list in 2022 was multinational esports organisation Team Secret. The organisation is largely known for its European Dota 2 team, which has secured 2nd and 3rd place finishes at The International 2022 and 2021, respectively. Outside of Dota, the organisation is the home to Brazilian Rocket League, European Rainbow Six Siege and Vietnamese League of Legends rosters. 

For VCT Pacific the organisation represents the Philippines, having entered the VALORANT scene in 2021. Despite not making it to VALORANT Champions 2022, Team Secret did compete at VALORANT Champions 2021, making it to the quarter-finals.

The organisation failed to reach an international VALORANT event in 2023 after placing 5th/6th in the VCT Pacific League.

Co-founded by former Fnatic Counter-Strike legend Harley ‘dsn’ Örwall in 2020, Paper Rex has quickly become a major name in the VALORANT ecosystem. Representing Singapore, the organisation competed at every available VALORANT international event in 2022. What’s even more impressive is that in those tournaments Paper Rex finished 4th (Reykjavík Masters 2022) and 2nd (Copenhagen Master 2022), before finishing the season off with a disappointing exit during VALORANT Champions 2022’s group stage. 

The organisation continued its momentum in 2023 by winning the inaugural VCT Pacific League, alongside placing 3rd in VCT Masters Tokyo and 2nd at VALORANT Champions 2023.

As of February 2024, Paper Rex is all in on VALORANT and currently doesn’t have any other competitive esports divisions.

The final permanent partner team in VCT Pacific is Indian representative Global Esports. Prior to joining VCT Pacific, Global Esports collected multiple regional trophies in India since its entry into the scene in 2020.

In 2022, the organisation competed in the VCT 2022 APAC Challengers ecosystem, placing 19th/20th (Stage 1) and 13th/16th (Stage 2) across both splits. Last year, the organisation failed to qualify for a VALORANT international event after placing 8th in the VCT Pacific League.  

Global Esports also has a roster in Battlegrounds Mobile India (India’s version of PUBG Mobile) that competes across a range of notable regional tournaments such as the BGMI Masters Series.

Founded in 2021, BLEED Esports is a Singapore-based organisation that has entered VCT Pacific by winning VCT Ascension, claiming a two-year promotion as a result. Prior to winning Ascension, BLEED has participated in various APAC VALORANT tournaments since its creation. The organisation will also continue to support the regional VALORANT ecosystem after securing a partnership with North American esports organisation Disguised for the Malaysia/Singapore VCT Challengers league.

Outside of VALORANT, the organisation competes in the likes of Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Rainbow Six: Siege.

Article first published: 24/09/22. Last updated: 16/02/24