VCT Masters Toronto was an event unlike any that Riot Games has put on for any of their games, as for the first time, they were able to bring fans in on the action and brought a lot of memorable moments to the city of Toronto.
Though there were many memorable moments for the fans, it was most memorable for Dylan Jadeja, Riot Games CEO.
Jadeja is from Canada, specifically the city of Brampton, Ont, where he grew up, which is half an hour away from Toronto.
“I think the team in general spends a lot of time trying to figure out different locations where we can honour the community, and we always have thought about bringing the events to Canada,” he said.
“It’s incredible, this is super special and then more importantly, having the chance to walk around the streets of Toronto and see people excited by the Valorant logo, to recognize it and then to see how incredible the community in Canada is behind this game, this sport,” he said.
Jadeja also talked about how Riot Games was able to bring VCT Masters to Toronto.
“We’re always thinking about the Americas broadly, so bringing it here is a part of the natural trajectory when we talk about great cities,” Jadeja said.
Masters Toronto differed from the many majors Riot Games had before, as it introduced fan activations to the event, bringing a convention-like feel to the major.
In comparison to VCT Champions Los Angeles 2023, they had off-site fan events.
As for Toronto, a lot of the events were inside the convention center and spread out, as the Enercare Center was big enough to fit crowds and many different fan activations.
Razur, Valorant Competitive Reddit moderator, had attended many VCT majors as a media representative of the Reddit page and said that Masters Toronto felt more intimate and accessible.
“Having activations on site at the event meant that if you didn’t do well in large crowds, you could come back to a booth while the match was going on and have the opportunity to participate or chat with vendors,” she said.
With vendors in mind, Tone Hoeft, Riot Games' Valorant Global Publishing Lead, said that the dev team was always interested in the community’s fan art and art commissions.
“Our devs, they’re always looking at things that people are making and buying stuff because they think it’s cute,” he said.
Hoeft said because of the love they have for the artist within the community, they wanted to celebrate them at VCT Masters Toronto.
“There's got to be a way that we can feature those people and give them a space because players love it, fans love it, and so it seems insane to not be able to find some way to celebrate,” he said.
“It’s been really awesome to see everyone just light up and get excited, you see it when you walk around,” he said.
Razur shared the same sentiment about the community and said that fan events are important in esports since the community is smaller compared to traditional sports.
“I am of the opinion that fans are integral to Valorant. A game needs both pros and fans to be an esport. If given the inspiration and/or opportunity, fans can contribute and encourage growth within the sport. That’s how longevity can be achieved,” She said.
With a focus on making VCT Masters Toronto have a convention-like feel, Riot was able to make an artist alley, bringing local artists to showcase their work and give an opportunity for fans to grab trinkets from the artists.
Geann, aka Gem, an illustrator and owner of Gemwrld, a seasoned artist in Toronto, said they were surprised by how receptive fans were to their art.
“Part of me thought that most people would strictly go to watch the games; however, there were so many activities, conversations and people I met that made it so much more than just watching the game,” They said.
Geann complimented the convention aesthetic; they said it was great and very uniform.
"I had high expectations for such a big name like Riot/Valorant to come to Toronto, and it exceeded them," They said.
Due to artist alley, Geann and many others found an influx of followers on social media due to international fans attending.
Like Nicole, aka Phamjams, said, because of the event, most days she sold out very quickly, which pushed her into wanting to make an online shop.
“It was unfortunate news to them (International fans) that I didn’t have my stuff sold online. This is pushing me to try to build up to an online shop because of the amazing response from VCT,” she said.
Fan attractions were also at the center of the event, as Riot heavily prioritized the fan-to-pro experience to create memorable moments. A few examples included the fan zone near the stage and the meet-and-greet after the press conference.
Natty, a Sentinels fan, said the press conference meet & greets were her favourite fan attraction.
“I loved the m&g’s (Meet and Greets) done after the press conferences, they felt less rushed than the little time they had winning by the stage,” she said.
"The fanzone was a cool concept to let anyone have a chance to be up close to their favourite teams instead of randomly selecting a few fans," she said.
“What we have today is what we built in conjunction with the community, so for us to see how big the community is and to see how beautiful it is and the fact that Canada is such an incredible place, it warms the heart,” he said.
With VCT Masters Toronto over, fans, pros, and Riot Games are looking forward to VCT Champions Paris, Tone Hoeft said people can expect some fan experiences as they enter the arena.
“A large part of going into the arena, you’ll have to go through the main fan experience that we’re building out, and so there’s a reason to come early, there’s a reason to interact with all these things,” he said.
Hoeft said they have an idea of a fan weekend experience for Paris.
“The idea is this idea of a fan weekend experience, think about any festival you have to program the things that you want to do because you can’t do everything in one day,” he said.
Hoeft said If Riot can do this, it will give fans a reason to come every day.
“If we can do that, there’s a reason to come back every day, there’s things to do with your friends, or maybe you come with a group of 10 friends and you compare notes at the end of the day,” he said.
“The stuff that the team is cooking up, I think, is really exciting,” Hoeft said.
VCT Champions 2025 in Paris will go on from Sept 12 and will conclude on Oct 5, where it will decide the champions of VCT 2025.