As we look ahead to a new era of North American VALORANT, we’re excited to announce that Knights Arena – the events arm of the Pittsburgh Knights, has officially partnered with Riot to be the official tournament organizer for both the NA VCT Challengers and NA VCT Game Changers 2023 tournaments. The Knights are committed to building on the success of the NA VALORANT regional league and we’re confident that together, we’ll continue raising the bar to create one-of-a-kind experiences for the entire VALORANT community in the year to come.
Since launching in 2017, the Pittsburgh Knights have focused on expanding and bringing the esports community together by delivering quality entertainment for die-hard fans and newcomers alike. The Knights are officially recognized by Pittsburgh as a premier team and partners include top industry leaders in entertainment and sports like Wiz Khalifa, and six-time Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Knights Arena has hosted many successful VALORANT tournaments since the game’s inception, from the Sakura Cup, a bi-monthly tournament for women and non-binary players, to the VALORANT Gauntlet Series, an open tournament offering the chance to run through a closed and open qualifier competing for $10,000. Knights Arena was also the first to officially implement Agent Bans at our hallmark event Valorampage, an invitational tournament where over eight straight days, 32 elite teams in North America battled it out for the coveted $25,000 prize pool. The Knights are currently in the process of finalizing league partnerships for this exciting opportunity.
“The Knights have proven their ability to run successful tournaments that embody the goals of VALORANT, and they bring years of experience and passion to this new partnership,” Bear Jemison, Head of VCT Americas, said. “We’re excited to work closely with The Knights team on NA Challengers and Game Changers, and I’m confident that together, we’ll build something that fans will enjoy.”
“Over the past two years, we’ve hosted dozens of events supporting the VALORANT community and tier-two scene. Being selected by Riot for this opportunity is a reflection of the effort and passion our organization has put into running those events and helping the scene grow,” said James O’Connor, President of the Pittsburgh Knights. “We’re very thankful for this partnership and are looking forward to producing some amazing content for VALORANT fans.”
This Knights Arena and Riot collaboration kicks off with the Challenger League Qualifiers. Stay tuned to hear more about how the Qualifiers will operate and what’s in store for the 2023 Game Changers season as we look to the future of VALORANT!
The Knights will be solely focused on supporting VALORANT through Knights Arena events and will no longer field a team in the 2023-24 season.
