Indian esports and gaming company Skyesports has announced a partnership with games publisher Riot Games that will see the Skyesports Champions Series (SCS) 2022 lead into VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2022 Stage 2.
The South Asian tournament will feature a total prize pool of $30,000 (~£23,950), with its final stage commencing as a LAN event in Chennai, India.
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According to the release, registrations for the SCS have already opened for India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Bangladesh. Participating teams will compete across two open qualifiers that will be held separately for India.
Two teams from the Indian qualifier and two teams from the South Asian qualifier will advance to Phase 2 (Group Stage League). In Phase 2, the competitors will battle eight teams from the previous South Asian Qualifiers’ Playoff Stage.
The top two teams from the Skyesports Championship Series will qualify for VCT APAC Challengers 2022 Stage 2.
Shiva Nandy, CEO and Founder of Skyesports, commented: “We are thrilled to be a part of VALORANT’s tremendous growth in South Asia and are beyond excited to be providing a path to the teams into the VCT APAC Challenger Stage 2. The Skyesports Champions Series will set a new benchmark for VALORANT esports in South Asia with top-notch production and live streams in several regional languages.”
Moreover, Skyesports will be hosting a Draw Show before Phase 2 to divide the 12 teams into two groups of six teams each. The show will be broadcasted on YouTube and Rooter, which recently entered a one-year media rights deal with the company.
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Sukamal Pegu, Publishing Leader, India and South Asia at Riot Games, added: “We’ve been supporting Skyesports’ VALORANT events for the past two years, and we are thrilled to be finally associating with them for the Skyesports Champions Series (SCS) 2022, for our VCT 2022.
“The SCS will provide a platform to all players across South Asia with a chance to progress to the next stage of the VCT, the APAC Challengers Stage 2. I wish the participating teams from the region the very best of luck.”
In 2021, JetSynthesys acquired Skyesports with the tournament organiser’s founding members holding a 35 per cent stake.
Esports Insider says: Skyesports has big plans for India and surrounding South Asian countries. The organisation has kicked off its competitive year with novel VALORANT events, which are set to showcase local talent and excite the local esports community. It’s exciting to see how the Skyesports Champions Series (SCS), and the company’s other events, will turn out.