VCT Game Changers 2023 set new viewership record with Shopify Rebellion’s trophy lift
Bruno Alvarez/Riot GamesVCT Game Changers has set a new viewership record of its kind with Shopify Rebellion’s trophy lift against Team Liquid Brazil.
2023’s VCT Game Changers has wrapped up, and with its conclusion, NA’s long-awaited dominance in the GC Championships has come to fruition.
In 2022, Cloud 9 White, who makes up a good portion of Shopify Rebellion’s roster, was highlighted as the best team coming in, however, fell at third place that year. However, with Shopify putting together a who’s who of NA Game Changers stars, it was inevitable they’d win, eventually.
Now, that time has come. Shopify’s trophy lift against Team Liquid Brazil on home soil being such a historic moment it helped set a new viewership record for Game Changers.
According to Esports Charts, the Grand Finals at its peak viewership had 279,248 viewers, making it the most viewed VCT Game Changers match of all time.
Even more incredible, the top five most-watched matches in the tournament were all Team Liquid matches as Brazil showed up in full force to support their representatives.
This new peak viewership record beats last year’s Grand Finals when Shopify lost against G2 Gozen, which amassed 239,334 viewers at its apex.
And in the Grand Finals that went to all five maps in a back-and-forth series, Shopify’s Ava “florescent” Eugene netted the MVP award while dropping 112 kills in the series, a world record for international VCT LANs.
Throughout the tournament, Team Liquid had to go through the gauntlet of a lower bracket run after being put down by G2 on their first day. It was in the lower bracket where they eliminated EMEA’s, NA’s, and APAC’s first seeds, and got their revenge on G2 at the lower bracket final.
The reigning champs G2 went out in third, however, had a good run after several roster shifts and an EMEA Stage 3 loss that brought doubt on their performance.