Riot Games, the company behind FPS game VALORANT, has announced that the VALORANT Game Changers EMEA Stage 3 grand finals will head to Istanbul, Turkey.
In addition to the venue announcement, VALORANT will also host a mixed-gender tournament in October.
The Game Changers tournament has seen stable growth in 2024 and has proven to be a good addition to the VALORANT competitive calendar. The current season is divided into three stages, each with its own finals. The Stage 3 finals will start on September 25th and finish on October
Turkey previously hosted the 2022 edition of VCT Champions. However, this is the first time that VALORANT Game Changers EMEA will head on the road. Riot Games announced that the finals will take place at the ESA Arena in Istanbul, a multifunctional event space that has hosted local esports events in the past.
In addition to the details about the Stage 3 finals, Riot also announced a new off-season tournament called the Game Changers EMEA: VCT OFF//SEASON Spotlight Series. The Spotlight series will be a new mixed-gender tournament that will be held between October 10th and October 16th, with the finals played during Paris Games Week on October 24th.
The Spotlight series will be an invitational event with 14 VCT and Challengers teams invited directly. Riot noted that “teams who have been actively investing in Game Changers” will be asked to join, and will be required to have at least two Game Changers players on their roster.
Daniel Ringland, Head of VALORANT Esports EMEA, commented on the announcement: “We are extremely excited to bring VALORANT Game Changers on the road for the first time and to introduce a mixed-gender tournament to the 2024 VALORANT Esports calendar at Paris Games Week.
“Our ambition with Game Changers is to create new opportunities for women in our ecosystem, and we hope these events will help us accelerate towards a future where all players are competing side by side at the highest level.”
