KGeN launches India’s first VALORANT virtual training academy ‘LIFT//OFF’

Global gaming platform Kratos Gamer Network (KGeN) has partnered with game developer Riot Games to launch India’s first VALORANT virtual training academy, called LIFT//OFF.

With a community-led and data-driven structure, the project aims to develop the next generation of VALORANT athletes.

According to a release, the programme will be led by strategically selected gaming content creators and experienced competitive gamers, the latter of which will be called ‘trainers’. The 20 creators will form their teams by either choosing five players or playing alongside four athletes. Finally, each team will be assigned one of 20 selected trainers.

Applications for creators, trainers and recruits commenced on September 18th and will remain open until October 10th. Participants will be chosen based on their in-game skills and social standing in the VALORANT community, including tournament wins, content creation skills and positive feedback.

The academy’s training will extend beyond the game, ensuring a well-rounded learning experience. Moreover, KGeN plans to leverage data to help build a player’s reputation and tailor tutorials and challenges. From November 4th-26th, players can then test their learnings in weekly and daily challenges for a chance to win rewards from the leaderboard. The training concludes with a final tournament between November 30th and December 3rd.

Top-performing teams will have the opportunity to participate in official VALORANT tournaments. Creators and trainers will also receive official VALORANT merchandise.

Founded in 2022, KGeN operates across India, Brazil, Nigeria, Southeast Asia and MENA, aggregating micro-gaming communities through data and Web3. The platform’s ‘Proof of Gamer’ (PoG) enables gamers to build and monetise their reputation.

Competitive FPS game VALORANT has had an eventful year so far. With Champions, the game’s largest yearly international tournament, concluded, the title has entered its OFF//SEASON, featuring numerous events and the Game Changers Championship. Furthermore, next year’s VCT format and event locations have already been revealed.