TLDR: Riot rigged Champs in favor of EDG to profit off China
At the beginning of the year, it was evident that China was the weakest region in VCT. Despite Riot's efforts to promote global competition, Chinese teams consistently underperformed on the international stage. As a result, Valorant struggled to capture the attention of the massive Chinese gaming market—a critical concern for Riot Games, given their desire to expand their reach and profits.
Viewership numbers in China were dropping, and Riot Games saw the potential to capitalize on the Chinese market slipping away. For a corporation like Riot, which has always been driven by profit margins and market dominance, this was unacceptable. Their strategy to dominate esports globally was being threatened, and something drastic had to be done to salvage their plans for the region. Riot, known for its business acumen and sometimes controversial decisions, had devised a secret plan to ensure the success of the Chinese region at VCT Champions—the biggest event of the year.
Riot rigged the tournament in favor of EDward Gaming, to artificially boost their performance and ensure they could compete at the highest level. The goal was to create the illusion that China was not just a viable contender in Valorant esports but a dominant force, capable of winning the most prestigious titles. Riot's executives were acutely aware that without a strong Chinese presence in the tournament, they risked losing a golden opportunity to tap into China's vast and lucrative market. By engineering EDG's success, Riot hoped to ignite a surge in viewership from China, thereby securing the long-term profitability of Valorant in the region.
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