“Increased focus on fandom”: Jake Sin on selecting the next VCT Pacific partner teams

VCT Pacific has seen tremendous growth since its introduction in 2023, with the region producing some of the world’s most mechanically skilled VALORANT players and countless memorable moments. 

From Gen.G being the first Pacific team to lift an international VCT trophy to Nongshim RedForce becoming the first Ascension team to win a Masters event, the league has continued to strengthen its presence globally.

Following the 2026 VCT season, Riot Games will announce the next set of partnered teams, along with its plans for the Tier 2 ecosystem. 

Esports Insider spoke with Jake Sin, Head of VALORANT Esports for VCT Pacific, to discuss the region’s competitive landscape, the upcoming partnership cycle, and his long-term vision.

In recent years, the skill gap between Tier 1 and Tier 2 has significantly narrowed. This shift is evident in the fact that three Ascension teams qualified for VALORANT Masters Santiago, with Nongshim RedForce winning both regional and international titles. 

“The progress we’re seeing at the Tier 2 level is a continuous trend. I also shared last month that 17 Challenger players and 5 amateurs made their VCT Pacific debuts last year. And now we have Nongshim representing the Pacific as well,” Sin told Esports Insider.

“The fact that we have these teams and players competing and doing well at the International League level is proof that there continues to be rising talent in the open ecosystem that can challenge the incumbents.”

To further bridge the gap, Riot Games has announced the VALORANT Challengers Path to Champions, which removes the Ascension tournaments and allows the top Challengers teams to earn direct slots in VCT Stage 2. 

“For us, that competitive mobility is essential. It keeps the ecosystem healthy, rewards long-term investment, and ensures new organisations and talent can rise through performance,” he added.

Moreover, teams that secure promotion will not only have the chance to qualify for VALORANT Champions Shanghai but will also receive a $75,000 (~£56,000) stipend to help cover travel and logistics costs. 

Sin said: “Thinking ahead to 2027 and beyond, our goal for the future is to make the VCT more open. So this change is a step towards building a path-to-pro that is more competitive, merit-based, and open.”

Along with opening the Tier 1 scene, Riot Games plans to continue supporting and collaborating with organisers to help the OFF//Season tournaments thrive. Some of these events offer Tier teams rare opportunities to gain valuable experience by competing against partnered organisations.

2026 is the final year before Riot Games renews partnership agreements with organizations competing in the International Leagues, while also creating a possibility for new teams to enter VCT. 

The publisher takes multiple factors into account while evaluating potential partners such as long-term sustainability, financial stability, professional infrastructure, social presence, alignment with Riot’s values, and more. 

Speaking to Esports Insider, Sin revealed that VCT Pacific will be increasing its “focus on fandom” ahead of the next partnership. 

“Fans are at the core of everything we do. We’ll look at how teams engage and cultivate their fandom. We want VCT Pacific to be more than just a league, but also a cultural experience that APAC fans can resonate with,” he elaborated. 

“We will look at how organizations engage their communities, including innovative collaborations, merchandise, and meaningful fan initiatives both online and in person,”

That said, competitive performance will continue to be an important metric evaluation process, as the ultimate goal is to maintain the highest level of competition across the league.

Sin shared: “We have four years under our belt now, and teams have a lot more history compared to when we started. So we’ll look at the track record of what teams have been able to accomplish and their actions towards growing the organization and team in ways that align with our vision and goals.”

VCT Pacific headed to Tokyo for the 2025 Stage 2 Finals, and this year Riot Games has announced roadshows in Ho Chi Minh City and Busan for the 2026 season. Sin wants to deliver “a world-class experience” for fans in both cities and “bring more VCT Pacific events to new cities across APAC in future.”

He added: “We look at a variety of factors when evaluating host locations for our events – visas, cost, infrastructure, partners we can work with, audience size, market size, etc.”

Expanding further on this, Sin revealed that Ho Chi Minh City had long been on the team’s radar. Moreover, Riot Games has seen rapid growth of both Vietnamese and Korean audiences over the past couple of years, which contributed to the decision to hold the VCT Pacific Finals in these cities.

“In fact, Vietnamese is now one of our top 5 languages with the highest viewership for the VCT. We’re excited to finally bring VCT to Vietnam and connect with the fans on-ground,” he said.

“In the case of Busan, we had an opportunity to work with a great venue that also gave us a chance to reach a different demographic of our Korean fans. Viewership and fandom in Korea have also been growing steadily, and that contributed to our decision.”

Sin also hopes to see another international VCT event hosted in the Pacific region after the record-breaking success of Masters Bangkok and Champions Seoul.

“Hopefully, fans won’t have to wait too long! I would love to see a global event held in the Pacific again. We’ve already seen great success last year when Masters came to Bangkok, and Champions at Seoul the year before, so we would love to replicate those successes in our region again,” he further stated.

VCT Pacific is often commended for experimenting with creative production elements. From Wingman kicking off the 2024 season to executing one of the most loved opening ceremonies at Champions Seoul, Sin explained that the team is always exploring new ways to make the broadcasts unique.

“We want VCT Pacific broadcasts to feel uniquely ours, showcasing our diversity and creativity. For example, we’ve had the English casters interact with the Japanese casters and the Indonesian casters on air, and those were really fun segments,” he elaborated. 

“We are also always looking to incorporate more local culture into broadcast; fans might have noticed elements reflective of local culture during the broadcast of VCT Ascension in Jakarta and Bangkok.”

As AI becomes increasingly unavoidable, Riot Games has also been utilising the technology in VCT Pacific. That said, Sin emphasises that the main priority is to deliver an authentic experience for fans.

“We see AI as a great support tool for many back-end processes, such as in our anti-cheat software and other competitive operations. As technology develops, there will be more ways AI can support esports,” he said.

“But our priority for event coverage is to ensure that it is as resonant to our fans as possible, and we are able to achieve this through working with many great local partners and teams across our region.”

When Esports Insider asked about Riot Games’ goals for VCT Pacific in the coming years, Sin stated that the vision is to become “one of the top esports leagues in not only the APAC region but the world.”

He outlined three pillars that will help the team achieve that success: competitive strength, sustainability, and fandom. 

While Pacific teams have lifted three Masters trophies, the region is still chasing its first VALORANT Champions title, which, according to Sin, would help cement its position as “the strongest region in the world.”

“Given the density and diversity of talent in our region, coupled with new initiatives like academy teams in Challengers, we’re well-positioned to continue to raise the ceiling on the global stage,” he noted.

Sin also highlighted the Riot’s efforts to ensure the sustainability of the competing organizations and players alike. These include stipends for teams and revenue sharing through digital goods such as Team Capsules, alongside regular monitoring of player salaries across the region. 

“We’re observing that the player salaries are at a healthy level as well. We want to make sure we continue growing the pie for teams with digital goods, which reward teams directly for building fandom,” Sin said. 

“We’re also working on expanding and diversifying our partnerships for the league, so we can leverage the support from our partners to continue to invest in building awesome fan experiences.”

Finally, Sin aims to make VALORANT esports in the Pacific a cultural experience for APAC fans, through fan activations, collaborations with local artists, merchandise, and more. 

“Moving forward, we will continue to innovate in how we engage our fans, ensuring they remain at the center of everything we do. We also want to make VCT Pacific a truly international league, one that fans across APAC can resonate with and feel represented by,” he concluded. 

“This includes bringing more events to more cities, creating more opportunities for in-person fan engagement. Providing a platform to showcase the strongest teams from all regions as we continue building a global fandom.”