Riot Games Selects Nerd Street Gamers to Kick Off Operations for 2021 VALORANT Champions Tour

The inaugural VALORANT Champions Tour further solidifies companies’ ongoing partnership to expand the competitive gaming landscape

PHILADELPHIA, January 19, 2021– Nerd Street Gamers, the national esports infrastructure company, announced today it was selected as the official tournament operator and producer for the first stage of Riot Games’ Challengers & Masters events during the inaugural 2021 VALORANT Champions Tour. Nerd Street Gamers will lead registration, operations and production of the Challengers events from January through March, as well as the Master tournaments in March; subsequent events in the tournament will be produced by other industry leaders to be announced later this year.

The 2021 VALORANT Champions Tour is Riot Games’ latest endeavor to grow VALORANT into the next great, multi-generational esport and create an opportunity for aspiring professional players to flourish through regional and international competitions. Since VALORANT’s launch in June 2020, Nerd Street has played a critical role in supporting Riot Games by helping to build the game’s foundational competitive scene.

“It’s an honor to be a part of VALORANT’s growth since its launch last summer. Riot Games’ efforts to provide opportunities for all gamers aligns with our own mission and further expands the esports landscape,” said John Fazio, CEO of Nerd Street Gamers. “We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done with Riot including powering the first North American Ignition Series and hosting the largest all-women VALORANT tournament. Producing the inaugural Champions Tour takes our collaboration to the next level and cements a foundation for the long term growth and sustainability of the path-to-pro ecosystem.”

In VALORANT’s inaugural year, Nerd Street was a key partner and supporter of the game. Alongside T1, Nerd Street produced and operated Riot’s First North American VALORANT Ignition Series Event. Additionally, Nerd Street partnered with FaZe Clan for their Ignition Series tournament. Nerd Street Gamers also saw an opportunity to engage Riot — alongside Spectator Gaming — to host the largest all-women VALORANT tournament, the FTW Ignition Series, which symbolized a massive movement for all women esports competitors.

In line with Nerd Street’s approach of providing integrity-driven opportunity for gamers of all skill levels, the organization took lead in the buildout of open qualifiers for some of the largest VALORANT tournaments in 2020. These open qualifiers provided fair opportunities for amateur players to earn their spot next to the pros in tournaments that would typically be invitation-only.

“Since the launch of VALORANT, Nerd Street Gamers has been a strong supporter of competitive VALORANT in North America. We are confident that the 2021 Champions Tour will help elevate North American teams to the next level,” said Chris Greeley, Director of Esports at Riot Games. “With various VALORANT tournaments under their belt, Nerd Street Gamers was a strong choice to partner with for the first stage of the Champions Tour. We’re excited to continue our partnership with Nerd Street Gamers and continue to build the esports ecosystem together.”

The first leg of the 2021 VALORANT Champions Tour kicks off on Wednesday, January 27 at 7pm ET. Players can register to compete in the qualifiers by heading to nerdstgamers.com/vct. Fans can tune in to all of the action at twitch.tv/nerdstgamers.

Full schedule for Stage 1 is as follows:

2021 VALORANT Champions Tour | Stage 1 Schedule

CHALLENGERS WEEKEND 1
Open Qualifiers: January 27 – 31
Closed Qualifiers: February 4 – 7

CHALLENGERS WEEKEND 2
Open Qualifiers: February 10 – 14
Closed Qualifiers: February 18 – 21

CHALLENGERS WEEKEND 3
Open Qualifiers: February 24 – 28
Closed Qualifiers: March 4 – 7

MASTERS STAGE 1
March 13-14
March 19-21

About Nerd Street Gamers

Nerd Street Gamers (NSG) is a national network of esports facilities and events dedicated to powering competitive opportunities for gamers. The company promotes greater access to the esports industry, laying a national framework for esports talent development and high-quality gaming tournaments. NSG has received backing from Five Below, Comcast, SeventySix Capital, Elevate Ventures, and angel investor George Miller.

For more information, follow @nerdstgamers on Twitter or visit http://www.nerdstgamers.com.

Media Contact:
Brownstein on behalf of Nerd Street Gamers
nerdstreet@brownsteingroup.com
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