Riot Games is a significant player in the esports scene, and has many sponsors for League of Legends events — Logitech, Kit Kat, and VISA to name just a few. They're numerous and reward the competitive success of the game.
Now, Riot hopes that Valorant will take the same path. After having organized a series of tournaments with different partners, they are now looking for long-term sponsors to help build the game's competitive scene.
It plans to take advantage of its next big series of First Strike tournaments to attract investors from around the world.
The First Strike tournaments will be separate events that will crown several different regional champions. We're still far from franchised leagues, but this series of tournaments promises to be even more developed than the Ignition Series.
This is the perfect opportunity for Riot to find sponsors. If the company follows the same business model as they have with League of Legends, we could see them try to make the most of the regionalization of its tournaments.
It could multiply partnerships and sign contracts with local brands that speak to the different communities of players.
Guild Esports, the London-based esports organisation that boasts David Beckham as a co-owner, have revealed they are moving into Valorant with the acquisition of the all-Swedish Bonk roster.
