Riot Games is sponsoring an all-women North American Valorant Ignition Series tournament, the FTW Summer Showdown edition. This all-women tournament, sponsored by T1 and G-FUEL, features a large $50k prize pool.
Esports facilities network Nerd Street Gamers will work with Riot, providing a platform for female gamers to showcase their talent. Along with collaborating with Philadelphia Fusion owner Spectacor Gaming, the three-day event serves as an opportunity for amateurs and aspiring pro gamers to take part in a series of matches for a large sum of cash.
This week, it's all FREE 🤑
TUE: FREE Custom Solos feat. Fortnite
WED: FREE #ModernWarfare 2v2 Gunfight
FRI: FREE $500 Rocket League Qualifier
SAT: FREE $500 Rainbow Six Qualifier
SUN: FREE $1,000 VALORANT OpenRegister ASAP before accounting finds out: https://t.co/Q7tos0HygK pic.twitter.com/CTQFgTqQot
— Nerd Street (@nerdstreet) September 8, 2020
How many teams will take part in the Showdown?
This would be an expansion of the original one-day event, allowing for more teams to participate and a larger prize. It will host twelve teams, competing for a $50k prize pool which was $10k in the original event.
Within the tournament will be eight amateur, professional and content creator teams along with four other teams that have secured their spot through a qualifier tournament. The all-female Discord community, GALorants, hosted the qualifier on September 5 , which provided the winning teams a portion of the $1,000 prize pot.
Team Chick Fil Ayy, going to see what we can do with one week of practice. Some great female teams in this event, will be fun to learn/play against. Thankful for this opportunity to meet other competitive female gamers/new friends😍 @FTW_us @nerdstgamers pic.twitter.com/Sl1SkDrfMU
— Sneakyminx (@Sneakymynx) September 10, 2020
An all-female tournament for gamers
The Showdown is part of a larger mission, which is to provide inclusion for women in the gaming community. Spectacor Gaming launched FTW: For The Women in 2019, which serves as a resource for women within the gaming landscape. Teaming with Nerd Street Gaming will only enhance the amateur-to-pro pipeline for aspiring female gamers, driving the industry forward.
Anna Donlon, Executive Producer of Valorant at Riot Games shared her thoughts on the upcoming all-women tournament: “Competing as a female in games is a daunting task for many reasons, so when we heard of Nerd Street Gamers’ and Spectacor Gaming’s FTW Summer Showdown, we knew we wanted to throw our support behind the tournament and elevate it to the level of our Valorant Ignition Series.”
The event will take place starting September 11 to 13, at 12 PM PT. Users can watch the games unfold on Nerd Street Gamers’ official Twitch Channel.
