2 Shanghai teams make top 8 in push for global Valorant contest title
The Champions 2023, the biggest event of the 2023 Valorant Champions Tour being held in Los Angeles, features 16 teams.
Two Chinese eSports teams have advanced to the top 8 at an ongoing global Valorant championship event in Los Angeles, Shanghai Daily learned on Monday.
The teams, both from Shanghai, represent the city's significant progress to turn itself into a global eSports hub and develop the gaming and eSports industry, one of the fastest-growing sectors in the digital economy.
Valorant, a popular 5 vs 5 first-person shooter (FPS) PC game, is developed by Riot Games, developer of popular titles like the League of Legends (LoL). It's operated by Tencent on the Chinese mainland.
The Champions 2023, the biggest event of the 2023 Valorant Champions Tour being held in Los Angeles, features 16 teams playing for the Champions title, including three from China.
EDG team members (right) defeat a rival to advance the top 8.
After eight match days, eight teams have qualified to fight for the final championship. They include EDG and BLG from China, as well as PRX, DRX, EG, LOUD, FNC and FUT from other regions, including the United States, Oceania, Europe and Asia.
Another Chinese team, FPX, lost in the qualification round, having been beaten twice.
EDG, or Edward Gaming, and BLG, or Bilibili Gaming, are both headquartered in Shanghai. Chinese eSports teams, especially Shanghai-based teams, have been gaining recognition and honors globally in recent years. Their success fits well with Shanghai's strategy to become a global eSports hub.
For example, EDG edged defending champion DWG KIA of South Korea to win the 2021 League of Legend (LoL) World Championship held in Iceland.
In the first half this year, a third of China's eSports events were held in Shanghai while the city is home to 52 eSports teams, accounting for a quarter of the total national team number, officials said during ChinaJoy, Asia's biggest game fair that was held in Shanghai last month.
The final championship match for the Valorant will be held on August 27.
