With a year of unimpressive play from minor regions in SEA, Japan, and even Brazil for a large part of the year the discussion about slot allocation comes up. In this debate, there are two predominant perspectives - slots based on fanbase, views, and playerbase pitted against slots being attributed solely to the ability of the teams. So, which is correct? With a limited 16 possible teams and almost 16 possible regions of competition, the slot allocation is vital.
Viewership and Fanbase
Valorant has done what no other esport has done in its first year of competition: surpassing a million peak concurrent viewers. It is an incredible and entirely unexpected feat for the very first international LAN event. Consequently, there was a large amount of media coverage regarding this impressive number - sparking comparisons to cs, future predictions, and setting expectations for every following event. Berlin also had a similar discussion, regarding low final view counts and impressive group stage matches between Sen and G2.
This focus on viewcounts from the viewers and fans of the game did not exist in previous years, it was regarded by most as an interesting bit of trivia after the event. Only due to accessible sites like escharts, has it become a matter of importance in Valorant. It permits teams not only based on their ability but also by the number of people willing to watch them - leading to the continued participation of perhaps less skilled teams such as Crazy Raccoons. This has, on the positive side, resulting in an ever-increasing Japanese viewerbase, fueling big peak view counts for otherwise boring matches.
Competitiveness
This is a very straightforward argument: the most exciting games will be between the best teams. It is logically sound, and often criticized for its lack of underdog stories and more predictable nature. However, this type of tournament still garners excitement and view counts, just look at CS's most recent major.
So, which one do you think is more important in slot allocation? Why? What is your ideal slot allocation for 2022, with regions including: NA, LATAM North, LATAM South, Brazil, Turkey, CIS, TUKN, Middle East, SEA, Japan, South Asia, Korea, and finally OCE.
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