First Valorant Champions Winning Team Exits VCT Citing Esport “Decay”

Acend Club, the renowned organization that secured the Valorant Champions trophy in 2021, is withdrawing from the competitive esports scene and the second tier of the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) after two years of striving to advance to VCT EMEA.

On September 16, Acend officially announced its exit from the Valorant esports landscape, citing that it “couldn’t justify”the investment required to sign another team.

“The tier-2 ecosystem has been exhibiting alarming signs of decline this year with numerous tournament organizers going out of business, failing to pay prize money, and canceling events,” the announcement stated.

Despite having previously won a Masters tournament and capturing the inaugural world title in Valorant esports, Acend was not selected among the 30 teams to participate in the Valorant Champions Tour international leagues in 2022. Riot Games opted not to include the organization in its closed VCT leagues.

Acend lift that Valorant Champions trophy — Michal Konkol/Riot Games

Acend triumphed over several legendary teams to claim the first world championship trophy.

Nonetheless, the organization persisted in maintaining a team within Valorant esports, competing in the Central and Eastern European Challengers League, known as East Surge. In 2023, Acend came tantalizingly close to securing a promotion to VCT EMEA, but ultimately fell short against Gentle Mates in the Ascension lower bracket final.

“The increasingly hostile ecosystem has made it simply untenable to responsibly operate a team,” Acend commented.

This European organization is not alone in its departure from Valorant esports, as others have exited due to the instability surrounding leagues and tournaments outside of those organized by Riot Games.

Teams like Acend and other tier-2 squads are at a disadvantage as they do not have access to various revenue streams from Riot Games, including regular stipends or revenue sharing from in-game cosmetics, which are available to teams in the top VCT leagues.

Most organizations competing in the Challengers Leagues face significant financial risks if they fail to achieve promotion into the Riot-managed competition.

Numerous esports teams have withdrawn from the Valorant landscape since VCT leagues were established, although some continue to participate or have returned via the Challengers Leagues in hopes of securing a place in the partnered leagues.

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