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Riot Games has reportedly denied G2 Esports the opportunity to be a part of the Valorant Partnership Program. This is a result of Carlos Rodriguez, the organization's CEO, being spotted partying with Andrew Tate, which could lead to the developers denying them a spot on the list.
G2 Esports is a European team with deep roots in multiple Esports titles. They are among the big names in the EMEA region and are reportedly running for a spot on the franchising list.
Riot has a strict selection system for the Valorant Partnership Program, and not every team can make it through the process. They have set up three regions - Pacific, Americas, and EMEA. Each will get ten slots for the first list of franchising partners.
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Free-to-play first-person shooter Valorant has become a significant Esports title on PC. Riot Games recently announced possible changes to the conduct of the future Valorant Champions Tour. They are set to enter their franchising era, and teams are swarming to partner up with them.
G2 Esports denied entry into Valorant Partnership Program
Riot Games has strict policies to uphold civil standards in their games and on the organizational level. They have a strong filtering system to avoid any negative side effects that other teams could bring over while signing up as a partner.
The CEO of G2 Esports, Carlos Rodriguez, was spotted at a party with the infamous public figure, Andrew Tate. The latter has been banned from social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tiktok for violating their policies by allegedly promoting hate speech and misogyny.
The appearance of the G2 CEO with Andrew Tate raised red flags for Riot as they strictly stand against such violations. This will cost the team their spot on the list of franchising teams as the developers reportedly declined their partnership offer.
G2 entered Valorant in 2020 with many roster changes while keeping Oscar “Mixwell” as the foundation. The team has been a consistent contender in EMEA and international leagues. They finished sixth in the Masters Berlin 2021 and Masters Reykjavík 2022.
One controversial move by the CEO, has landed himself with a two-month unpaid suspension, and Riot has frozen them out of running for a slot in the first list of franchising partners. The partnership between G2 and Riot would have guaranteed a spot for the former in future VCT Champions events over the next five years.
This could be set as precedence to the strictness that Riot follows and the repercussions teams may face should they violate any such conditions. It is an excellent step towards a no-tolerance policy regardless of the organization's size. Reportedly, the slot for G2 could be going to Leviatán instead.
Riot will officially announce the final list, and the names mentioned are subject to change.
