Riot respond to criticism about “women only” tournaments for Valorant

Riot Games’ newest addition to the Valorant Champions Tour is VCT Game Changers, a competition for women and marginalized genders. Howver, the announcement was met with a portion of criticism, prompting a response from the devs.

As Valorant’s esports scene continues to grow, Riot have clarified that they’re looking to extend the competitive experience to people who often find themselves on the periphery.

VCT Game Changers is a Valorant tournament dedicated to women and other marginalized genders, and while many have come out in support of the tournament, others have questioned the move to host a separate event that excludes male players specifically.

Riot’s devs, however, have hit back at criticism regarding the tournament and have offered further clarification on the motives behind Game Changers.

Riot explain VCT tournament

After the thread dedicated to discussing Game Changers started to receive some mixed responses, several members of the Riot development team clarified their stance.

Valorant’s Insights & Strategy dev Coleman ‘Altombre’ Palm shed some light on the philosophy behind the competition. They highlight that “the goal of this program is not to divide genders in competitive play, but rather to support the communities of women who exist in Valorant and highlight incredible players of those communities.”

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A second response came from Head of Video Production Nathan ‘R3DALERT’ H, who clarified that “Going pro is a very different prospect for people who aren’t men. It’s important to create an avenue that is free from at least some of the social and political forces marginalized groups face.”

This response comes relatively close to a promise from fellow developer Aeneia that Riot are taking issues with sexism and gender-based abuse seriously, and are planning to take action in the near future.

The Valorant Champions Tour: Game Changers kicks off in March, first in North America. The prize pool will match that of the Ignition Series, and runs alongside the main body of the Valorant Champions Tour circuit.