Team Vitality CEO on third-party tournaments and VALORANT division

Team Vitality are one of the major organizations yet to pick up a VALORANT roster. With G2 Esports, TSM, and many more joining in on the tactical shooter’s esports scene, the talent pool to choose from is starting to dwindle. However, the organization’s latest tournament, The Vitality European Open , shows they are definitely following its latest happenings and want to get involved one way or the other.

Team Vitality’s CEO, Nicolas Maurer, was recently featured in an interview with The Loadout. He discussed the organization’s plans for Riot Games’ VALORANT, why they haven’t joined the scene till now, his thoughts on current tournaments being organized by third-parties, and the decision process behind holding The Vitality European Open . The latter was held to provide the organization’s partners with new activation and utilize it as a scouting tool for potential recruits and talented VALORANT competitive players in Europe.

“Organising a tournament is clearly not our business but it’s something we’ve tried doing in the past. It’s interesting as it’s a new opportunity for our partners, so it helps us do new activation and they’re happy to see us do that and make content around Valorant. It’s also useful because it’s being hosted on Vitality TV on Twitch, so there’s more content there,” clarified Maurer on the reason behind organizing The Vitality European Open .

Later in the interview, one of the questions asked was regarding Maurer’s thoughts on the fact that VALORANT tournaments held so far are all being handled through third-party organizers. He explained his preference leans more towards a “closed franchise ecosystem.” Something similar to the current League of Legends European Championship (LEC) and League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) formats for Riot Games’ MOBA, which we might see in the future for VALORANT esports.

“I cannot hide that we have a preference for a closed franchise ecosystem. From a business standpoint, that’s the superior product when we can commit long term in closed leagues – that’s not really a surprise with the LEC model being the one we love the most. That being said, we respect the fact that maybe Riot considers it might not be good for Valorant. They know what they want for their title and so they’ve made a conscious choice to form an open ecosystem, which in Counter-Strike creates huge excitement and viewership.”

“I like that Riot is also taking a cautious approach. I like that they’re not forcing a product and saying it’ll be the next big thing and expect everyone to pay 20 million right now. I prefer this approach, even if the format isn’t the one we prefer from a business perspective,” explained Maurer on what he believes should be the future of VALORANT competitive ecosystem.

Maurer made it clear to everyone that the organization is watching the title’s latest developments and esports world closely. Once the opportunity opens up, we will see Team Vitality step into the scene and do it with a hero’s entrance.

“It’s simple. If it’s a relevant title, we want to be a part of it in a big way. If we go in, we’ll go in big. And when that happens, we’ll invest what it needs to get the right talent,” commented Maurer on their plans to pick up a VALORANT competitive roster.

Do you think there is a lack of European VALORANT esports teams willing to invest in forming rosters compared to the North American scene? When do you think we will see Riot Games step in with their own closed franchise ecosystem for the tactical shooter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!