VCT Game Changers to host first in-person tournament in Berlin

Riot Games have announced that their Game Changers circuit, designed to showcase female and non-binary professional players in Valorant, will be getting its first in-person LAN event. The Game Changers Championship will be hosted in Berlin, Germany, and will run from November 15-20. 

From its humble beginnings as a one-off tournament in North America, VCT Game Changers has grown rapidly to become one of the premier esports tournaments in the world for women and non-binary people. And now, it’s officially going global, as Riot Games have announced they’ll be hosting the inaugural Game Changers Championship in Berlin, Germany, in November 2022.

The announcement marks the first LAN event for the Game Changers series since the format made its debut in April 2021. According to Riot Games, this Game Changers LAN is another step in their “hope to build towards a VALORANT Champions Tour that is more inclusive and representative of our community”. It will see participants from six of Valorant’s competitive regions, with slots awarded based on “regional competitiveness and respective player population”.

Participant seeding

The Game Changers Championship will host eight teams in a double round robin format, taking place over five days. EMEA and North America will receive two qualifying slots, while Brazil, LATAM, APAC, and East Asia will each receive one.

The winners of each regional Game Changers event will represent their region in Berlin – although it’s not yet been confirmed how the secondary seeds for NA and EMEA will be calculated. The event will be the first in the Game Changers calendar to feature international play, and will establish new international rivalries in one of the fastest-growing female esports scenes.

Riot Games is yet to reveal the venue that will host the Game Changers Championship. In 2021, the VCT Stage 3 Masters and the Valorant Champions events were both held in Berlin, where the developer’s LEC Studio is also located.