VCT partnered team skins might come to Valorant sooner than players expect. Data miners have discovered early indications that team skins are in development by Riot Games, who is yet to confirm the information.
Valorant has a new look in 2023. The competitive side of the game has been reorganized to make room for the International Leagues. These are three on-LAN leagues covering different regions with 10 permanent teams each, meaning there are many more teams than previous years.
Back in 2022, Riot revealed the partnered teams who would be part of the International Leagues. The selection process was an improved version of the system used with franchising in League of Legends. Teams submitted their bids to be part of the league, including business and development plans for the years to come.
In the end, only 30 teams made it to the final stage and are now getting ready for  VCT 2023: Lock In, taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 13.
The teams playing in VCT Americas are 100 Thieves, Cloud9, Evil Geniuses, Furia Esports, Kru Esports, Leviatan, Loud, MIBR, NRG, and Sentinels. The teams that are part of VCT Pacific are Detonation FM, DRX, Gen.G, Global Esports, Paper Rex, Rex Regum Qeon, T1, Talon Esports, Team Secret, and Zeta Division. The 10 teams in VCT EMEA are BBL Esports, Fnatic, Fut Esports, Giants, Karmine Corp, Koi, Natus Vincere, Team Heretics, Team Liquid, and Team Vitality.
According to the leak, the esports-inspired skins could be released in the upcoming months. Skins are, allegedly, part of the deal between Riot and the teams. Early reports on the deal stated that Riot would set a stipend for the teams of around $600,000 with the potential to earn more for teams that exceed expectations in deliverables.
Back in November, John Needham, President of Esports for Riot, explained that teams in the VCT are partners and not owners of a franchise. The teams have commitments — they must produce content and stay competitive. If teams fail to deliver, Riot could take the slot back and bring in another organization. The financial incentives, in this case through skins, is just Riot delivering on its end of the deal.
It is unclear what route the developer will go with the skins. It could be a variant, meaning that it is one skin with different versions, similar to the chromas in League of Legends. Or it could be a bundle including skins, buddies, and sprays. Either way, players would have to purchase the skin of their favorite team, and parts of the proceedings would go to the organization.
This is not a new model and is quite a common practice in esports. Games like Overwatch, Call of Duty, and League of Legends have team content available for purchase. In League of Legends, the teams that win the World Championship receive a skin line as part of the prize and receive a portion of the sales.
It is unclear when Riot will make a formal announcement. Ideally, it would come before February 13, so players can use their new skins on the first major international event of the year.
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