North American VALORANT players have formed their own association

According to the Dot Esports portal, several well-known North American professional VALORANT players have their own association with a direct connection to the developer and tournament organizer Riot Games. Representatives of the scene have already managed to establish contacts with the developers, having received information regarding the future partner league model for the next competitive year.

The Players' Association is expected to represent players in the Americas region and attempt to influence decisions made on the competitive scene. The association will not receive any funding from Riot Games and will operate independently of the developers. In addition, any player will be open to discussion with the association.

Relations between the two organizations have been described as "healthy" and have direct support from the players' association in the LCS. The Players Association and Riot Games meet every other week to discuss politics. This body was created after the opening of partner leagues, which will begin in the next competitive season.

The association is made up of approximately 30 players, with several prominent figures on the advisory board. Among them: steel, vanity, Subroza, AYRIN, dazzLe and Tailored.

Most of the association's last meeting with Riot Games was reportedly focused on the TIER-2 scene, with many players and community members expressing concern about the lack of teams for the partner league in 2023. Several professionals have lost their jobs after their organization failed to qualify for the final round of developer partnership applications.

According to insider George Geddes, the next competitive season of the VALORANT Champions Tour will begin in February 2023. Several organizations in different regions completed their interviews with Riot Games for the affiliate program next year. Affiliate teams will receive scholarships from Riot Games: while the base payout is $300,000, members will receive an additional $300,000 for selling skins and in-game merchandise, as well as $400,000 for successful content creation. As a result, the best teams will qualify for amounts equal to $1,000,000.

The Asia-Pacific League will be played in Seoul, where teams from the region will have to relocate to compete. Meanwhile, the European League will likely take place in Berlin, while the American League will likely take place in Los Angeles, according to several sources.