Riot Games have finally announced a pathway circuit event towards the Valorant Champions Tour for the Indian and South Asian region in collaboration with NODWIN Gaming.
Named Valorant Conquerors Championship and boasting a prizepool of 2,500,000 INR, the event will culminate into a certain number of slots at the APAC Last Chance Qualifier, which will reserve one slot at the Valorant Champions Tour Grand Finals for the winner of the said Qualifier.
Also Read | Valorant Conquerors Championship – All you need to know
We at TalkEsport got an exclusive opportunity to talk to Akshat Rathee, MD & Co-Founder, NODWIN Gaming and Sukamal Pegu, Publishing Leader, India & South Asia, Riot Games in relation to the Valorant Conquerors Championship, the pathway to Valorant Champions Tour Grand Finals and much more!
Q. VCT is finally coming to India, with the Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC). The entire region, I am sure, is excited and have been eagerly waiting for this day. What took VCT so long to arrive in India?
Sukamal Pegu: Let me start with a big thanks to our fanbase in the region. We are humbled by your support for the game and sorry it took us a bit of time to unlock VCT for South Asia. We always knew that VALORANT would do well here and we were very careful to bring to you the best of experiences related to the game, be it infrastructure, grassroots tournaments or local payments.
When it came to VCT, we wanted to ensure that we find the best possible partner to deliver this here and we were literally spoiled when it came to partner Tournament Organizers choices in South Asia. When we decided to include South Asia in the tour, we had to make sure everything was in place, in terms of a delivery partner, logistics and operations. This took a bit longer than expected and so it might seem like we were late, but we were busy planning to ensure we did it the right way. We are always listening to the needs of the South Asian VALORANT community and we will try our best to deliver them to you, without compromises.
Q. The Riot x NODWIN Partnership will be handling VCC. What made you choose NODWIN Gaming over other contenders for the project?
Sukamal Pegu: Like I said earlier, we are literally spoiled when it comes to potential partners in South Asia. The competitive VALORANT products in the region easily compare with the best in the world and some of them have broken records when it comes to participation and viewerships. NODWIN Gaming bring a solid experience of delivering some of the biggest international esports events for the region and we hope to deliver one of the best regional VALORANT events with this partnership
Q. Can we expect a better frequency in terms of the Indian region receiving some prospect of participation in Riot sponsored events?
Sukamal Pegu: For sure. VALORANT is a relatively new game and we are just laying the foundations for the esport ecosystem around it, globally. You will definitely see the South Asia region being a lot more visible in our roadmaps from now onwards.
Q. There has been a growing furore among players in the Indian and South Asian region about the increase in number of hackers. Should we expect a more vigilant eye and a more manual crackdown of such accounts and users?
Sukamal Pegu: We are aware of these incidents and we take them very seriously. Our game and platform teams along with our Player Support team are working hard to ensure that we are able to tackle misuse in our game. We are also vigilant outside the game to ensure that our communities are safe and inclusive for all.
Q. Have you been following the Indian Valorant scene? If so, do you have any favourites, be it teams or players?
Sukamal Pegu: I personally do follow all the premier partner events in the region. The quality of play I get to see from teams such as Global Esports, Team Mahi, Portal Esports etc. are simply outstanding and I wish them all the very best in the upcoming South Asian VCT event. I can’t wait to see them face off with such high stakes! (fan moment)
Q. NODWIN have always been at the forefront of bringing international level events to the Indian Esports scene. What does this partnership for VCT with Riot games mean for NODWIN Gaming?
Akshat Rathee: The NODWIN Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC) as part of VCT 2021 for the South Asian leg is significant on many levels. Firstly, it’s our springboard for the community to have a slot for South Asia on the global roadmap of Valorant esports. Secondly, it’s a NODWIN IP that will set the goals for teams and players in South Asia every year towards VCT. And lastly, it’s our best chance to present top-notch content to the world. After everything that we have done in the past, the Valorant Conquerors Championship is more symbolic of the importance of the South Asia region and the impact of NODWIN Gaming on the global level.
Q. This is NODWIN’s second big Valorant event, with the Agni series being the first. Was there any specific reason for NODWIN to wait so long before conducting another major Valorant event?
Akshat Rathee: We at NODWIN always look at incubating new tournaments and conducting them to serve a defined purpose. The attraction of doing “Just another tournament” is very high, however, we have to see how we can really bring value to the ecosystem. The VCC now has a slot towards the global VCT 2021 and that now fits the local to global narrative NODWIN always aspires for. Now that VCT has opened its doors for the region, I feel like there couldn’t be a better time to bring back VALORANT to our roster of IPs in a bigger way.
Q. One thing the people are yet to know about VCC, the upcoming VCT pathway event for the Indian Region, that you would like to reveal?
Akshat Rathee: It will be a hot event! *smiley face*
