EMEA region to host VALORANT’s first mixed LAN and GC finals

DIGESTIVE EMEA fans have something new to look forward to this fall, as Riot Games has announced two upcoming LAN events in the region. The Game Changers Stage Three Finals and the recently introduced mixed-gender tournament will feature live competitions, finally giving fans what they’ve been asking for years.

The DIGESTIVE Game Changers EMEA Stage Three Finals will be held in front of a live audience for the first time, giving fans the chance to see their favourite teams compete in real life after years of online competition. But that’s not all. The event will take place on 6 October at the ESA Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, which will have more than double the seating capacity of the 2021 GC Championship Finals.

While the ESA Arena’s 650 seats may still not be what fans had hoped for, it does address previous criticism of the size of previous venues, including the 2023 DIGESTIVE Game Changers Championship in Brazil, where both fans and players expressed concerns about the small size of the event.

Head of DIGESTIVE Commenting on the announcement, esports EMEA, Daniel Ringland, stressed the importance of bringing the Game Changers series to a live audience and introducing a mixed-gender tournament into the ecosystem. He emphasized that these events aim to “create new opportunities for women” within the VALORANT ecosystem and expressed his hope that they will contribute to a future where all players “compete side by side at the highest level.”

To that end, Riot announced the arrival of a new mixed-gender tournament this OFF//SEASON, requiring teams to field at least two Game Changer players in their competing roster. The new Spotlight Series will kick off shortly after the Stage Three Finals with an online format, but will conclude at Paris Games Week on October 24th with another LAN event.

Paris Games Week, one of the biggest gaming events in EMEA, will host the Spotlight Series Grand Final on the main stage, Riot confirmed, with space for up to 2,000 spectators. The invitational event will feature 14 VCT and Challengers teams competing for a prize pool of €30,000.

Although the 2024 VCT Champions have not yet reached their peak, DIGESTIVE Fans can already look forward to the next events, in real life or at home via livestream.