Renegades is teaming up with Nerd Street Gamers to host a VALORANT tournament this month. Sixteen of the top VALORANT teams in North America will compete for their share of a $10,000 prize pool from Oct. 17 to 18, the organization announced today.
The tournament will run each day from 3pm to 10pm CT. The official Renegades Twitch channel will livestream the event.
Twelve teams will be invited to the event, with four slots reserved for qualified teams. Up to 64 teams from the North American region can register for the upcoming qualifiers this weekend on Oct. 11 and 12. The qualifying tournaments contain a separate $1,000 prize pool and the top two teams will book their tickets to the Renegades Invitational.
Following the harsh punishment handed down by Riot Games in May 2016, Renegades’ choice to be involved in another Riot product is a curious one. The organization was permanently banned from competing in any Riot-sanctioned league due to a flouting of the LCS’ official trade rules. Professional basketball player Jonas Jerebko bought Renegades in September 2016, though.
Nevertheless, Renegades is still choosing to dive into VALORANT, promising “top-tier competition” and a tournament that “will surpass fans’ expectations,” according to Jerebko.
Update Oct. 13 8:20am CT: Joshua Clay, general manager of Renegades, provided the following statement regarding the organization’s relationship with Riot. “Any punishments/bans were issued to previous owners and no longer apply to the current organization,” Clay said. “We have a great working relationship with Riot and were happy to get the blessing for this event.”
