DRX vs OpTic matchup breaks 1+ Million peak viewers

The growth of Valorant in just a couple of years since its release has been a spectacle to behold in the Esports Industry, but the achievement isn’t entirely surprising consider the experience Riot Games has gained from growing the League of Legends scene over the last decade. VCT 2022 - Champions Istanbul being the last tournament of VCT 2022 season was bound to attract more viewers than usual, but to have a peak viewership reach over one million for the Lower Brackets final demonstrates how mature the Valorant scene has already become.

OpTic Gaming, NA’s best team and the winners of VCT 2022 - Stage 1 - Masters Reykjavík, facing off against the Korean DRX had 1 020 683 concurrent viewers tuning into the stream at some point during the matchup. This was a stark increase from the previous day when LOUD faced off Optic Gaming.

Despite reaching more than a million views, Champions Istanbul is yet to be amongst the Top 3 tournament by peak viewership, perhaps since the Grand Finals is yet to be played out. According to Esports Charts, VCT 2021 - VALORANT Champions 2021 recorded the highest amount of viewership clocking in at 1 089 068 during the Grand Finals between Acend and M3 Champions, previously known as Gambit Esports.

Coming in shortly after at 2nd is VCT 2021 - Stage 2 - Masters Reykjavík with a peak viewership of 1 085 850 during the highly anticipated EU vs NA matchup between Sentinels and Fnatic. It seems surprising that the top two spots are occupied by tournaments from last year, but a glance at the bigger picture will reveal the difference in the number of tournaments held this year in comparison to the previous two years.

Considering the history of tournament records, the Grand Finals tomorrow between LOUD and OpTic Gaming might be able to amass a greater viewership than the Lower Brackets finals. Not only will the series be a rematch of the Upper Bracket finals, but it will also bring together fans from around the world awaiting to witness the winners of the VCT 2022 season and the major recipients of the $1 million prize pool.