On the final day of the VCT LOCK//IN Alpha Bracket, VALORANT fans witnessed a replay of the last year’s Champions grand finals. Though LOUD and NRG (then OpTic Gaming) fielded different lineups this time, it all panned out in a similar manner, as LOUD emerged victorious again in front of more than 850,000 online viewers.
VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo has been attracting huge viewership, already surpassing the numbers from last year’s VALORANT Masters. According to Esports Charts, all the top five series (according to peak viewership numbers) at VCT LOCK//IN have an American team competing in them.
The NRG and LOUD quarterfinal series currently ranks first in the list, garnering 852,720 peak viewers. While LOUD took the first map in dominant fashion, NRG clawed their way back in the second map after forcing overtime. The third map also went into overtime with both teams trading rounds back and forth until LOUD came out as the ultimate winner.
The high viewership numbers are not surprising since VALORANT is popular in both North and South America. Moreover, with the LOUD and NRG rivalry storyline, it is no wonder so many fans tuned in to watch the series play out between these two teams.
LOUD’s victory has earned them a spot in the semifinals, where they will face an in-form DRX on March 2. With the home-crowd buff, the Brazilian team are looking unstoppable and poised to win the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Omega bracket of VCT LOCK//IN São Paulo will begin on Feb. 22. The first series between Team Liquid and Team Secret will start at 11am CT, followed by Natus Vincere and KRÜ Esports facing each other at 2pm CT.
