Esport: Valorant India Invitational records a whopping 9 million viewers

The inaugural edition of the international Valorant tournament, Valorant India Invitational, has achieved a viewership of nine million during the championship clash between Team Heretics and Paper Rex.

Galaxy Racer organized the tournament's inaugural edition in partnership with Sunburn and AMD. The game boasts a prize pool of USD 1,00,000, featuring six international teams, including two from India. 

Mumbai-based squad Global Esports barely failed to advance to the playoffs as they were tied 2-1 with the top two teams in the group stage.

Paper Rex from Singapore and Team Heretics from Spain were the chart toppers of their respective groups before eventually locking horns in the championship match.

Singaporean team Paper Rex did not have to walk the total distance and secured a 3-1 victory to emerge as the champions of the inaugural Valorant India Invitational.

The tournament attracted a massive viewership across YouTube, Twitch, and Glance's gaming platforms of Galaxy Racer. According to Galaxy Racer, the tournament drew a viewership of six to nine million viewers.

Esports Charts is an analytical service that provides comprehensive metrics for live streams and broadcasts. 

According to them, the LAN-based international Valorant tournament recorded a peak concurrent viewership of 50,289 during the championship match and an average viewership of 20,357 throughout the tournament.

The chief gaming officer of Galaxy Racer, Siddharth Ravishankar, said: "The astounding viewership indicates that Esports is set to make history in India, both in terms of growth and the growing interest among Esports fans. 

"Competitive Esports events like the Valorant India Invitational are setting a high standard and working towards propelling the industry to great heights and the response is a testament to that journey."

The tournament faced some setbacks as multiple Valorant community members for India expressed disappointment with the organisers for failing to host the matches on time due to mismanagement.

However, if the numbers shared by Galaxy Racer are correct, the tournament has created history by attracting massive viewership considering the past numbers for the region.