Tournament organiser ESL has announced that it will organise and operate official VALORANT esports tournaments in Thailand for 2021.
Alongside official tournaments, ESL will also host collegiate competitions after being appointed a partner of Riot Games Southeast Asia.
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Beginning in 2021, ESL will host exclusive VALORANT tournaments, providing teams with the opportunity to be crowned the best team in the country. In addition, the tournament organiser will run the inaugural season of the ESL Thailand Championship which begins on November 23rd.
Chris Tran, Head of Esports at Riot Games for Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, spoke on the partnership in a release: “ESL and great esports have gone hand in hand for years. We’re looking forward to seeing ESL deliver a great series of professional and collegiate esports events for our Thai fans and players.”
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The ESL Thailand Championship will be a part of the First Strike series, the first wave of tournaments to be operated by the publisher. The tournament will see eight teams competing for the lion’s share of 150,000 THB (£3,714.93) in prize money.
Nick Vanzetti, Senior Vice President of ESL Asia-Pacific Japan, added: “Thailand has been one of our key focuses in 2020 and we are excited to carry it over to 2021 as the appointed partner of Riot Games Southeast Asia for their VALORANT esports and collegiate program. With VALORANT becoming one of the fastest growing esports, it is the perfect title for the ESL Thailand Championship product.”
Esports Insider says: Riot Games selecting ESL to organise its VALORANT esports efforts in Thailand is certainly a solid choice given ESL’s wealth of experience in this particular arena. It’s interesting, but not surprising, to see the publisher already taking control over the title’s competitive endeavours.
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