Several Valorant players have expressed concern about the state of NA’s tier-two scene, as a long break could see many organizations leave the game.
With details about the Valorant off-season still unclear, many tier-two players are fearing for their jobs as they could go months without playing any official tournaments before Challengers returns in 2024.
Will ‘dazzLe’ Loafman, who plays for NA Challengers team Turtle Troop, has shared his concerns about that the impact that a long break could have on the scene. Without a clear roadmap for the second half of the year, many organizations could simply pull the plug on their teams to save several months’ worth of salary.
“I wonder how many orgs will be left by the time of next challengers,” dazzLe wrote on Twitter. “50k+ people watching all Challengers League. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“Unfortunately, a lot of this hinges on the game developer, one that’s taken a lot of missteps transitioning to this format.”
wonder how many orgs will be left by the time of next challengers.. 50k+ people watching all challengers games can’t believe what i’m hearing 🙁
— will (@dazzLeGO) June 4, 2023
His teammate Daniel ‘Rossy’ Abedrabbo echoed those fears, saying: “Riot please make a public statement and give a reason for orgs to invest in Challengers.”
Turtle Troop was the only NA Challengers team that couldn’t find an organization to represent in the league. On June 4, the team was able to retain a spot in Challengers for 2024 after finishing first in the Play-In Relegation tournament.
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For some NA Challengers teams, changes will inevitably take place once the season is over. Shortly after TSM were eliminated from the NA Challengers Playoffs by FaZe, the organization parted ways with head coach Jacob ‘Daeda’ Hale.
Corey ‘corey’ Nigra, one of TSM’s players, admitted that “things are starting to get rough out here.”
“A six-month month break is too long for orgs to want to stay,” corey wrote.
startin to get rough out here, 6 month break is too long for orgs to want to stay
— Corey (@Corey_OW) June 4, 2023
Last month, Riot Games announced details of the qualifying system for NA Challengers in 2024. There will be only two qualifying spots on offer, down from the six that were available this season, which will severely limit the opportunity for new teams to qualify for the league.
The top two teams of the NA Challengers Playoffs will secure spots at Americas Ascension, where they will join Brazilian and Latin American sides. The winner of that tournament will earn a two-year promotion to the VCT Americas league.