ESL Australia and AOC announce VALORANT Rising Heroes

The Oceanic VALORANT calendar continues to strengthen, with ESL Australia partnering with AOC to announce the VALORANT Rising Heroes tournament, set to begin in late March.

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Hot off the heels of LetsPlay.Live & Riot Games’ VALORANT Oceania Tour, VALORANT Rising Heroes will feature the largest prize pool to date for the region, with $24,000 AUD in cash plus peripherals supplied by AOC.

“We want to develop our region, and hero some of the bright stars that are currently playing VALORANT in ANZ,” said James Fletcher, Product Manager at ESL. “Working together with AOC, we’re looking forward to bringing a VALORANT tournament of this scale to the region. VALORANT Rising Heroes presented by AOC will give us the platform to do that, with a hyper-competitive 3-stage tournament and a massive prize pool.”

The tournament will include three open qualifiers (March 27, April 10 and April 17), with a 16-team Swiss bracket to follow in May. The top four will join the event’s direct invites in ORDER, Mindfreak, Wildcard Gaming and Dire Wolves for the main league group stage.

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Playoffs will be broadcast live on Twitch from ESL’s new studio in Sydney in early June, with the victor claiming over $8,000 AUD in cash and prizes.

“Over the years, AOC has developed a range of premium gaming products and was the number one top-selling gaming monitor brand in 2020. We are excited to continue supporting the development of Esports at both domestic and international levels,” stated Sales Manager at AOC Australia Jay Huang. “AOC is proud to partner with ESL, and look forward to a strong and enduring relationship in the year ahead.”

VALORANT Rising Heroes is ESL Australia’s first venture into the esport, joining the likes of LPL, ORDER & Fortress in bringing VALORANT esports to Oceanic screens. With huge prizes and against the best teams in the region, this will be another opportunity for OCE’s best to prove themselves in the fast-growing esport.

More tournament information and sign-ups for the open qualifiers can be found on the VALORANT Rising Heroes official launch site. Stay tuned to Here’s The Thing for the latest in Oceanic esports news, commentary and more.

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Credits:

• Written by Nicholas Taifalos
• Edited by Adam Taylor