What the VCTs Global Title Would Mean for China

The VCT 2023 Grand Finals are approaching, and Chinese teams are scaling international heights, which is important for the gaming community.

Valorant officially launched in China this past July, making the Chinese qualifying teams for the Valorant Champions Tour all the more impressive. As the VCT 2023 continues, the Chinese teams push the limits to stand against the world's greatest Valorant players.

Although involved in the Esports scene for two years, Valorant held its first official event for China in July 2023. Chinese government-related obstacles have restricted the country's representation in Valorant's international scene. As the championship approaches its final stages, the Chinese teams are eager to demonstrate their skills. With Valorant prohibited from China's servers for two years, it was up to Chinese players to make a name for themselves. Up until recently, these Chinese teams made their way to the international plate without governmental support, and fans back home are closely watching. Even if China doesn't earn the championship title, these professional Valorant players have defied their odds and made their mark on the world stage.

What Are the VCTs?

Hosted by Riot Games, the Valorant Champions Tour had its first event in 2021. The annual Esports tournament is an international competition to crown the best team in professional Valorant. While Valorant's appeal increases, this year's tournament stakes are at its highest in history, with a total prize pool of $2.25 million. Apart from being regarded as the most skilled team, the winners of the VCT 2023 will be rewarded $1 million. For comparison, Brazilian team LOUD walked away with $300,000 as first-place winners in VCT Champions 2022.

The remaining teams have undergone difficult matches to reach the current standings in the tournament. From Aug. 6th to 26th, 16 teams will face off in Los Angeles for the final tournament stages. Of these 16 teams, there are five from the EMEA (Europe), four from the Americas, four from the Pacific (Asia) and three from China. Nine of these teams qualified through their respective international league. In addition, four more teams earned their spot through Last Chance Qualifiers in July. The last three qualifying teams come from the Champions China Qualifier, China's first official Valorant LAN event. Unlike teams from other regions, China received its own qualifier event because of the recent approval from its government allowing Valorant to broadcast on its territory. Anticipating the day they would formally qualify and fight for the trophy, the three Chinese teams, EDward Gaming, Bilibili Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix, were ready for the challenge.

China’s Strict Gaming Regulations

On July 12th, Valorant was published in China under a name that roughly translates to Fearless Covenant. Despite China having one of the largest gaming markets in the world, its government heavily restricts gaming content. Popularity isn't enough to approve a game's release within China's borders. Titles such as Fortnite and Overwatch are unavailable for players in China. Games must undergo a strict approval process to regulate gaming addiction in youth and monitor disapproving content such as violence. China's National Press and Publication Administration, NPPA, oversees licensing for foreign game distribution, including Valorant.

NPPA's approval for Valorant in Dec. 2022 will help stimulate China's gaming market and even local economies during Esports events. Valorant is available for Chinese players through Tencent, a Chinese video game developer and publisher. Owner of Riot Games, Tencent is the top gaming company regarding revenue, beating companies like Sony and Nintendo. As a highly talked-about game in China, Tencent expects Valorant to be incredibly successful in its gaming industry and considers it its "most important game published this year." Considering the complexity surrounding NPPA's supervision of game licensing, Valorant's approval is a valuable feat for Chinese fans.

China Officially Joins the Valorant Scene

Before Valorant officially reached China, players had to find alternative means to play. Chinese players had to use VPNs to gain access to the game and servers outside the country. China's absence of the official game also came with a lack of events and streaming for fans. Lacking a private league, Chinese teams participated in events hosted by third parties. Fans in China had limited access to external international Valorant broadcasts and streams, and China's scene mostly remained within its borders. Without governmental approval, Chinese Valorant existed at the hands of passionate players. Despite facing isolation from the international scene, two teams represented China at an official VCT event for the first time in 2022. EDward Gaming demonstrated their resolve at the East Asia Last Chance Qualifiers and secured their spot in VCT Champions 2022. Although EDG didn't advance further, they were China's first Valorant team to make a global debut.

After receiving a taste of the international spotlight in VCT Champions 2022, China's teams didn't intend to stop there. Though Valorant's distribution in China came after organizing the VCT 2023 tournament structure, Riot Games ensured China's participation. As a result, Champions China Qualifiers was the first Valorant event to recognize China as its own region and invited the top three teams to qualify for Champions Los Angeles. FunPlus Phoenix faced elimination after losing two matches in the VCT 2023 Group Stage, leaving EDward Gaming and Bilibili Gaming as China's two standing teams. As the Group Stage concluded on Aug. 13th, EDG and BLG made it where no other Chinese Valorant team has ever been, the Champions Playoffs. Beginning on Aug. 16th, fans worldwide will watch the final eight teams compete for survival in a double-elimination bracket.

Chinese teams EDG and BLG will have to navigate unfamiliar terrain as they rival experienced teams dominating the international Valorant scene. Highly regarded teams, like Brazil's LOUD and United Kingdom's Fnatic, are familiar with the pressures to perform well under international scrutiny. In comparison, some believe China's teams are the outsiders that somehow managed to triumph over teams predicted to win. Fans witnessed these instances this year when EDG defeated LOUD 2-0 at Masters Tokyo, and BLG won 2-0 against NRG during Champions Group Stages. While some regard these performances as the opposing teams having an off day or sheer luck in favor of China, it becomes harder to discredit their successes as the region continues to prevail. Chinese teams manage to compete at and above the same level as some of the world's best Valorant teams despite the gaming disadvantages China faces in their region.

When prospective professional Valorant players got access to the game with its 2020 release, China wasn't even at the starting line. Deprived of a server, Chinese players relied on nearby countries like South Korea and Japan. While regions got to work recruiting their golden rosters and organizing training boot camps, Chinese players were on VPNs searching for feasible ping. Unable to compete in international tournaments, all Chinese players could do was wait on the sidelines. As Valorant teams in China banded together, they depended on other Asian teams to return and took every opportunity to scrimmage together. Teams like EDG used these scrimmages as a secondary way to experience differing playstyles and assess their skills. While these Asian teams likely regarded the scrimmages as just another practice regime, this was the closest China's Valorant players could get to the international stage. Through ad hoc invitations from Riot Games, Chinese teams had some opportunities to join the Valorant Esports scene. However, this didn't change how Chinese teams were underestimated and sometimes disregarded by community members.

What once was considered an unattainable dream for Chinese teams is now painstakingly close to reality for EDG and BLG. Just over a month has passed since Valorant arrived in China, yet Chinese teams broke international ground in 2022. Previously, China was a region with no official ties to the Valorant community, but a July announcement revealed it will host Masters Shanghai in Spring 2024. As VCT Champions 2023 approaches its end, the Valorant community must reward credit where it's due. China, a country once forbidding its play, might have possessed a roster crowned as the top Valorant team in the world. Whether EDG or BLG advances past the playoffs or not, arriving at the stage they are now under the limitations they faced is irrefutably a product of their dedication.