Valorant's Global Head of Esports Léo Faria Reveals Over USD$100M Were Shared With VCT Teams

Valorant's Global Head of Esports Léo Faria revealed that Riot Games shared a record-breaking USD$105.2M with teams in the VCT. This money was generated through the purchase of esports in-game items, including the VCT 2025 Team Capsules, the Valorant Champions 2025 collection, and the VCT 2025 Karambit.

Despite the promising signs and improvements in the amount of income received from esports skins, Léo Faria was careful and tried to lower the expectations ahead of the upcoming season by saying "this was a uniquely strong year and will likely set the high water mark for some time."

After setting the bar so high, now it's time for Riot Games to innovate. Back-to-back seasons with esports collections for the Classic have set a precedent, but it feels like the right time to introduce skins for other weapons. While these plans haven't been confirmed by Riot Games yet, Valorant's Letter to the Community published on December 16 teased a potential change.

With changes to how esports skins are sold in Valorant starting from VCT 2026 and with teams heading to the final year under the current Partnership system, it's fair to say changes may be upon the whole Valorant esports scene. Be as it may, it's still very early to start these talks; an esports season charged with a lot of action is right upon us.

The upcoming Valorant esports season will begin in January 2026 with the Kickoff stage and the Valorant Masters Santiago. Following the first split of the year, the best teams in the scene will compete at the Valorant Masters London. Only a few weeks later, the best teams in the scene will compete in the Esports World Cup 2027 and, shortly after, Valorant Champions, which will take place in Shanghai, China.

Stick with us in Gfinityesports.com for more updates about the VCT 2026 season.