Heineken launches Valorant-themed bar ahead of VCT Americas league

Brewing company Heineken has launched a Valorant-themed bar in Brazil inspired by Icebox to celebrate the launch of the VCT Americas league.

The three-story bar is located in Vila Madalena, an upscale neighborhood located in São Paulo, and is called the Heineken 0.0 Icebox Bar to promote the brewing company’s non-alcoholic beer brand.

Last week, Riot Games announced Heineken 0.0 as the official beer partner of Valorant map Icebox in VCT Americas’ streams. The brand will be present during map selection, gameplay and other parts of the broadcast.

In addition to the bar on the ground floor with several Icebox-themed elements, Radianite crates and giant screens for fans to watch the matches, there is a gaming area with ten computers and streaming booths on the second floor, as well as a rooftop bar with D.J.s.

According to Igor de Castro, senior marketing manager for Heineken 0.0 in Brazil, the bar will be open from March 31 to April 23 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with registration limited to 250 people per day.

“A lot of people still think that virtual games cannot be used to socialize,” de Castro said. “We want to break that stereotype and show that it’s quite the opposite. Friendships do start in games, and our Heineken 0.0 Icebox Bar is a special invitation from Heineken 0.0 so that meetings between people, which are already happening during matches, can also happen in a physical space.”

VCT Americas will kick off on April 1 and will run until May 28. The league will feature ten teams from across the Americas, including a trio of Brazilian squads (LOUD, MIBR and FURIA).

The partnership between Heineken and Riot Games for VCT Americas is an expansion of the brewing company’s deal with CBLOL, Brazil’s top League of Legends competition. De Castro added that Heineken is considering taking the Icebox Bar to other cities in Brazil.