A handful of lucky Valorant fans will be able to watch the First Strike Korea action in person.
Riot has rolled out the international First Strike event, allowing teams from all over the world to compete within their region for a piece of the $100,000 prize pool. Korea had 24 teams competing in the First Strike Qualifiers on November 12 through the 22nd. Now, teams are competing in the finals.
The competing teams are:
While Valorant fans were excited to watch the region’s top teams compete, it wasn’t the matches themselves that caught a lot of viewers’ attention. The finals actually had a live audience, something that most esports events haven’t boasted in many months.
The finals were held at Roll Park on the third floor of Jongno Grand Seoul. A total of 40 seats were filled for the matches, which is 10% of the venue’s capacity. Each ticket was about $14 (15,000 won).
To keep viewers safe, strict safety measures were put in place. All viewers had their temperatures taken upon entering and exiting the event. They were also instructed to always remain seated. While inside the venue, the lucky few Valorant fans had to wear masks. They were also not allowed to eat while within the stadium, further ensuring their masks would always be up.
Most Valorant events have been strictly held online, only viewable through Twitch and other streaming services. Bringing in live fans here was definitely an interesting choice on the tournament organizer’s behalf, and it might open up other events to the possibility in the future.
The League of Legends World Championship, also organized by Riot, also boasted a live audience during the finals. They had 6,000 people in the live audience, all of whom seemingly stayed silent when DAMWON Gaming beat their Chinese rivals.
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