The CEO of Acend Club, Benjamin Rolle, recently took to social media to express his concerns over the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) system, labeling it a “disaster” after his organization invested $700,000 in various Valorant rosters over the last two years.
Rolle highlighted significant flaws in the second tier of the Valorant esports ecosystem, indicating that the situation has worsened since Riot Games implemented its semi-closed league structure.
“Esports deserves better. Valorant deserves better. Perhaps Riot’s focus is primarily on Tier 1. It’s possible that higher-ups are unaware of the issues at play. Change may come, but currently, it’s a disaster for organizations,” the executive remarked.
Once regarded as a premier organization in the Valorant scene, Acend had an impressive run in 2021, culminating in a victory at the first Champions. However, following a two-year struggle to secure a promotion spot into VCT EMEA, Acend announced its withdrawal from Valorant esports on September 16, 2024.
After the 2022 season, Riot Games did not extend an invitation to Acend for the VCT partnered league system. Nevertheless, the organization continued to compete in the Tier 2 landscape, hoping to eventually earn a spot in the EMEA competition.
Acend winning Valorant Champions 2021.
The organization showcased highly competitive rosters, incurring steep costs. The 2023 team finished third at VCT Ascension EMEA, whereas the 2024 squad unfortunately missed the event.
“Once we descended to Tier 2, everything changed. That’s when the nightmare began. Competing for a single promotion slot across all of Europe isn’t just challenging—it’s ruthless, yet potentially rewarding. Teams like ours invested substantial money, time, and passion into the competition, offering competitive salaries and making significant sacrifices,” Rolle noted.
The CEO further elaborated on how the European Tier 2 scene has become, in his opinion, a wasteland for teams, as tournament organizers consistently struggle to pay out winnings and maintain payroll for production staff involved in these Challengers leagues.
Riot’s management of the feeder system into its premier esports leagues remains a contentious issue, as organizations find it challenging to justify financial commitments to players and rosters without clear, reliable returns on their investments, often limited to temporary slots in the top league.
The developer shows little incentive to provide organizations outside of its main leagues with alternative revenue streams, such as stipends or revenue from in-game cosmetics, as its priorities for esports properties differ from those of competing teams.
Despite these issues, many players, executives like Rolle, and content creators continue to voice their concerns regarding Riot Games’ management of its esports frameworks.
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