Riot's competitive team have unveiled Premier, the new in-game competitive game mode that will link the casual and the competitive community. With Premier, Riot want to allow the entire playerbase to experience Valorant the same way VCT pros do.
Premier was first teased back in April, when the 2023 esports model was revealed. It will be a grassroots way to provide players with rewards that surpass those of the ranked system and, eventually, funnel them into the larger competitive structure.
The new mode will work akin to League of Legends' Clash system. Players will be able to create or join a team of five and battle against teams of similar level in an in-game tournament. Teams will be placed in a division to play a persistent season, which includes weekly matches and tournaments. Each season will last a few weeks and conclude with an end-of-season tournament, where the teams with the most points will fight for the title of Division Champion.
Image via Riot Games
Premier will first be rolled out next week, exclusively in Brazil. This first trial will be key in testing team creation (which includes logos and colors), server load, tournament play (with picks and bans), Premier Score (and qualifying for an end-of-season tournament), matchmaking and queue health, and general bugs.
As a first broad test, the first public edition of Premier will be merely an Alpha version. Riot estimates Premier to be at about 60% of its planned features and functionality. Entire features are absent from the current version. While Riot haven't revealed when the Alpha test will end, the developer has promised more news after the first trial is over.
Image via Riot Games
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