Riot’s new shooter VALORANT has enjoyed an immense boost of popularity following its introduction. How will the new kid on the block hold up in terms of industry health?
The newest competitive first person shooter Valorant has been met with exceptional enthusiasm. Boasting great viewership numbers and a variety of invitational tournaments, its early trajectory seems reminiscent of games such as Overwatch in its launch year. However, just viewership numbers generally aren’t enough to build an ecosystem surrounding a game – it requires investments from organisations and a considerable amount of resources as well.
Sources told TEO that the average @PlayVALORANT team salary currently ranges between $15K-25K per month, with some players earning considerably more.@Graham__Ashton checks in on the developing Valorant esports scene:https://t.co/xCED5X8vKa
— The Esports Observer (@esportsobserved) July 8, 2020
The Esports Observer reported on the current investments being made into the VALORANT scene in a recent article. According to them, “a variety of sources” have stated that “the average salary for a full five-player team can range anywhere from $15K USD to over $25K a month”, with there also being players that are “paid considerably beyond that range”. While this in and of itself can be a valuable long term investment, especially combined with the high viewer numbers as mentioned in the article (major tournaments attracting a consistent 50.000 viewers), there is also the risk of yet another esports bubble.
Over the years, there have been countless examples of overinvestment and subsequent withdrawal or collapse of esports scenes being propped up too fast with too much money.
This sentiment was shared by the owner of G2 esports, Carlos “Ocelote” Rodríguez in a now deleted tweet, where he stated that their sources may be “heavily incentivized to spread misinformation as their commissions depend on it”.
Do you think VALORANT will be the next esports bubble, or is the current investment warranted with the potential the game has? Join the discussion on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our Discord!
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