Filipino favorite Valorant marks 3rd anniversary with more offline events

MANILA, Philippines — During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Riot Games officially launched their first-person shooting (FPS) game Valorant.

Initially called "Project A" during its development, Valorant has grown in popularity since its debut three years ago, with its esports league adopting a franchise model encompassing three major regions: Asia Pacific, Europe, and North and South America.

In the Philippines, Valorant is one of the top games Filipinos are playing on PC, and the local challengers scene boasts a number of talented players with many professional players making waves on the world stage.

But why is the game such a favorite among Filipinos?

For Jade Ferrer, a Valorant fan who was able to watch the Valorant Challengers Tour (VCT) Pacific Grand Finals in Seoul, South Korea, the love for the FPS game really started during the pandemic.

"When the game first launched, it was during the start of the lockdown period of the COVID Pandemic. Majority [of players] are students who are looking for ways to unwind and take breaks from adjusting to online learning, Valorant came at the right time. There are other games [of course], but Valorant has become more of a trend because of famous streamers starting to play the game, which brings more audiences to try it out." Ferrer told Philstar.com.

She added that with the country's history in esports booming from the days of computer shops and internet cafes with many starting their gaming experience with the likes of Counter-Strike, it was no surprise that Filipinos immediately took a liking to Valorant and why they excel in the game.

But besides the familiarity with FPS titles, Ferrer believes the game is popular because of how it lets you enjoy time with your friends.

"Around November 2022, my friends from Discord invited me to play Valorant with them and I hopped back into the game. After a few rounds with them, it became a routine for me to play with them right after I came home from a long day at work. The game is more fun when I play with friends and we would just fool around every match and get good with it," Ferrer added.

Valorant shifts gear with offline events

While in Seoul during the VCT Pacific Grand Finals, Ferrer herself witnessed how a Valorant offline event has a different feel to it compared to watching online.

"Supporting teams online is more accessible to everyone since anyone can access the stream with their electronic devices. Being there onsite is a whole different experience because the team you’re rooting for can hear your cheers rather than behind the screen. Just like attending  UAAP or NCAA, being there onsite cheering on your team is a big boost of morale and motivation to the players to win. To be honest, if the next VCT Pacific will be in the Philippines, the stadium will be full of Filipino fans, regardless of what team they are supporting, just being there for Valorant and watching good intense matches will bring hype to the league." said Ferrer.

It is a sentiment Riot Games Philippine country manager Joel Guzman shares.

"Our goal is to have Masters in a Southeast Asian country very very soon. Fingers crossed it's the Philippines," Guzman told members of the media during the CONQuest Festival, in which Riot Games was a platinum partner.

The festival also saw the local Valorant Challengers tournament being an offline event for the very first time, with Guzman noting how important it is for the community to have face to face events again.

"It's very important to have offline events again. The energy is very different when it's a LAN event. You feel people's aura and energy. One can always argue that online creates more viewers but at the end of the day it's the mix and balance of cascading offline events towards online so that it's going to be more accessible," said Guzman.

He added that the recent event will certainly not be the last offline event Riot Games will have this year, and that fans should look forward to more things to come for Valorant and other Riot titles for the rest of 2023.