VCB: Keyd cites uncertainty and discontinues Valorant presence

Vivo Keyd Stars announced the temporary suspension of participation in the Brazilian scenario of Valorant. Faced with uncertainty about the calendar and important information about the competitive landscape in the 2024 season, the organization announced the decision to temporarily relocate the Valorant team to the reserve.

— At the moment, we still do not have the full definition of the official calendar of the championships and other relevant information for next year. In the face of this uncertainty, as an organization we have a responsibility to take proactive measures aimed at the well-being of our players and the stability of our team.

— We recognize Valorant’s relevance as one of the foundational modes in our history, and we know how much we all share that passion. That’s why we’ve made the decision to temporarily move our Valorant team to the bench. This measure aims to ensure that our players are not harmed in the face of the uncertainties that still surround the gaming scene.

Keyd did not explain what the players being booked means in practice, as there are no other official competitions taking place this 2023 season.

Keyd competed in both editions of Valorant Challengers Brazil (VCB) this year. In Stage 1, the team reached the final, but lost the title to the Union. In Stage 2 the team stopped in 4th place after being disqualified by ODDIK.

Keyd’s lineup includes Marcelo “pleets”, Gustavo “krain”, Felipe “liazzi”, Julio “pollo” and Felipe “flainzz”.

In the statement, Keyd wanted to make it clear that she intends to continue in the sport, “because we believe in the potential of the game and the strength of our team.”

Intense non-competitive crisis

Until last year, the Challengers tournaments were the most important in each region, with the main local teams and qualifying for international championships, including Valorant Champions, the modality world.

However, with the inception of franchises, with only ten clubs selected to participate in each of the three leagues, Challengers became a second-tier tournament, with no access to Valorant Masters and Valorant Champions.

Even with Riot giving franchise vacancies for Challengers teams through VCT Ascencion, the regional tournaments, which were played alongside the franchises, albeit on different days, had little audience interest, with very low ratings.

Stage 1 of the VCB, which ran from January to March, peaked at 34,018 concurrent viewers on grand final streams and averaged 12,589 viewers, according to data recorded by Esports Charts. In Stage 2, from April to June, the numbers were even worse: a peak of 20,179, also in the decider, and an average of 9,915.

If that wasn’t enough, most of the teams competing in the VCB were already without official league commitments in June. Only The Union and 00 Nation still played, at VCT Ascension, in Sao Paulo, looking for a spot on VCT Americas, but they didn’t make it.

This has also happened in other Challengers leagues around the world, with the community complaining about the schedule the developer created and worrying about the financial viability of organizations investing in Valorant with such a lean schedule, even more so with Challengers such as in the case of Brazil, being a league in person, in which there are additional costs.

Even the franchise system was criticized. Teams eliminated in the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), the final qualifying tournament for Valorant Champions, concluded in July. The world championship will be held from August 6 to 26, with four months to go before the end of the year.