Valorant is breaking viewership records after only one day in its closed beta.
Hours into its debut, the newest title by Riot Games broke Twitch’s single-day hours watched record for a single game. Valorant registered a 1.7 million concurrent viewer peak, dethroning Fortnite’s World Cup for second place in the streaming platform’s history. The number one spot is occupied by the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, which had 1.74 million concurrent viewers.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that Valorant is getting this much attention. The new FPS by Riot is one of the most anticipated titles of the year in gaming. Riot, in partnership with Twitch, enabled beta key drops in selected channels, so players were watching in hopes of getting into the beta.
The demand for Valorant beta accounts is so high that some players are selling their keys online. One beta key can sell for over $100. In the face of this situation, Riot has started banning account sellers and is warning players against this type of transaction.
Riot is planning on inviting more players into the beta in the near future.
“This is just the beginning of our journey with players, and as we roll out our server infrastructure in these tumultuous times, we’re looking forward to inviting more Valorant players from around the world into this digital community,” Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon said.
Before the closed beta, some fans called Valorant the “CSGO killer, but it seems like Overwatch is the real victim here. In the past few days, numerous professional Overwatch players have announced their retirement from the game and their intention to pursue a career in Valorant.
The reason why players are willing to jump ship before the game is out is because of Riot’s track record of supporting its competitive titles. League of Legends has one of the best and most reliable competitive scenes in the esports industry. Riot is constantly investing into the competition and improving it every year. That type of investment and stability is attractive for professional players and investors alike. The developer is yet to announce any plans to launch a competitive circuit for Valorant, but once it does, it’s expected to be in the top tier.
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