Although it has only recently launched its closed beta, Riot’s darling has quickly taken the world by storm. With a gameplay style that is quite accessible for new players, a lightweight configuration that can run on even lower-end machines, and an effective marketing campaign, Valorant has attracted not only casual gamers but also professional players, especially in North America. Many renowned organizations like T1, Sentinels, and 100 Thieves have announced the formation of their own Valorant teams featuring former CS:GO pro players. There have also been numerous showmatches with huge prize pools that have garnered high viewership, showcasing the potential of this game.
Recently, a flurry of professional CS:GO players, primarily in North America, have transitioned to Valorant, including well-known names from the CS NA community such as Swag, TenZ, Zellsis, Laski, and most recently, Freakazoid, a player who has been competing in CS professionally for over 10 years and has been part of professional teams like Cloud9, Echo Fox, and eUnited.
Not only players, but many lower-tier teams have also had to disband recently due to similar reasons. Just yesterday, Bad News Bears, a team that was ranked 33rd in the world, officially announced their disbandment after two members, crashies and dapr, decided to transition to professional Valorant. Previously, two members of Swole Patrol, food and Zellsis, had also announced their move to compete in Valorant, leaving this team with only two members and on the brink of disbandment. In Zellsis’s Twitlonger announcement, he admitted that “organizations are no longer interested in lower-tier teams, not even a promise of support.” Yay, a player who has competed for teams like Lazarus, Swole Patrol, or Orgless, also shared heartfelt thoughts in a Twitlonger.
“There are indeed organizations looking to find a team to sponsor, but they are not interested in any names outside of the top 10-20 teams. They want a stable team with a certain track record. On the other hand, it’s hard to become better when your opponents have support from coaches, analysts, psychologists, facilities (housing, equipment, living conditions…), boot camps, and most importantly, are getting paid. You don’t necessarily need those factors to succeed; however, they will certainly help players avoid unnecessary pressure and focus on improving their skills.
Another point is why would you invest money into lower-tier CS teams when new games like Valorant are emerging? Organizations will have more opportunities to profit when the pro scene of Valorant is still very young and full of potential. This is a golden opportunity for investment, and organizations have no reason to invest in a team ranked in the top 20-30.”
Through these insights, we can somewhat envision the current situation of lower-tier teams, and it’s completely understandable for lower-tier players to seek new careers in a new game. These departures will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the CS scene in the short term; however, in the long run, they will provide golden opportunities for young talents to showcase their abilities and compete at a professional level. Furthermore, competition has never been a bad thing, and the emergence of games like Valorant will push CS:GO to further develop and introduce new features to attract players, lest it be left behind.