GGTech’s Responses to College Esports News questions
COLLEGE ESPORTS NEWS: What is GGTech’s response to the criticisms (criticisms around broadcast issues, not accepting support from other organizations in the space, moving the finals from Riot Studios to college campuses, co-streaming program) that they have received from their first season operating CVAL and CLoL?
GGTECH: “As this is our first year delivering college esports in North America, we knew it would be a learning experience. We are always attentive to feedback, as our goal is to provide the best viewing experience for fans.
We learned a lot from our initial broadcasts and have taken the time to reflect on how we can improve for the future. Traditionally, College VALORANT featured four simultaneous broadcasts with two casters per region. Our team aimed to deliver something innovative that provided comprehensive coverage of all teams, focusing on important moments in a sustainable manner. This led us to adopt a “Red Zone” style approach, similar to traditional sports broadcasts, which we believed would achieve our goals. While the execution of our first broadcast did not go as planned, we have worked closely with our talent to make significant improvements between each event.
As we addressed internal processes and resolved technical issues, we remained committed to supporting and listening to the community. One clear piece of feedback we received was that schools and students within the community felt well-positioned to deliver broadcasts through co-streaming. This aligned with our core value of providing students with opportunities to gain industry experience. Many schools had inquired about the possibility of co-streaming events, which was not previously permitted during major events such as the Lower and Grand Finals.
After much consideration, we decided to launch the co-streamer program, seeing it as a great opportunity to support community members interested in covering the competition. We provided a variety of resources to help co-streamers deliver content, attract viewers, and ensure overall stream quality. These resources included full broadcast graphics, social media templates, access to games, in-game data, full admin support, promotion on official channels, and giveaways.
Our intention was to give students within our community the opportunity to actively participate in broadcasting our sport. We are keen to continue growing the co-streaming program to make it more effective and to encourage more students, schools, and community groups to cover College League of Legends and College VALORANT, involving those who have engaged with us throughout the season. As the sponsorship situation improves over time we will review how we approach the co-streaming program along with in-house broadcasts so that we achieve the correct balance of supporting community storytelling and reaching commercial goals. This includes providing more opportunities for upcoming talent, which we understand has been impacted by these changes, so it is a continued commitment of ours to provide valuable experience to those who are starting their journeys as talent, as we did with our talent selection throughout the season including the finals.
Moving the finals to a college campus provided us with a unique opportunity to take greater responsibility for the event by collaborating with colleges and other organizations in the space. We believe opportunities like this not only create great experiences for students but also allow us to involve more of the community and develop a more sustainable product in the long term. We are very grateful to Boise State University for taking the first steps in this direction with us, and there are plenty of aspects to build on for future events.
We recognize the prestige of playing on the same stage as the pros in Los Angeles and are committed to finding ways to create the same level of excitement for both students and schools in future events.
We learned a lot this season and want to thank the community, teams, and players for their support and patience as we continue to grow. We also want to take a moment to recognize our staff for their hard work this season and remind the community that everyone involved cares deeply about delivering the best experience for students and the sport. We will continue to gather feedback in order to improve our content.”
COLLEGE ESPORTS NEWS: What are GGTech’s plans for responding or adapting to the community’s feedback for the next iteration of the leagues?
GGTECH: “We have received a wide range of feedback from various surveys and conversations with students, schools, and other stakeholders, which we are taking into consideration. We are currently finalizing plans for the upcoming season and will be reaching out to the RSAA Advisory Board, leaders in the space, and other community organizations that have provided invaluable feedback so far, before making any formal announcements.
While we may not be able to implement all of the changes the community has requested, we will continue to adapt the product as resources become available and focus on investing in the areas that the community values most. Our goal is to grow and improve the product for the long term.”
COLLEGE ESPORTS NEWS: What can we expect in the next season of CVAL / CLoL – as much as the org can share here?
GGTECH: “There are two major areas we aim to improve next year. First, we want to provide more transparency with the community about what to expect in advance. We recognize that we had to make some fundamental changes during the season due to the evolving nature of the ecosystem. However, we want those committing to our competition to have clear expectations.
Second, we plan to provide more consistency between both College League of Legends and College VALORANT where it makes sense. Details on how we will achieve this will be announced in due course. Our goal is to ensure that the communities of both games feel they are receiving the same level of respect they deserve.”
Riot and GGTech’s Statement on the Prize Pool
COLLEGE ESPORTS NEWS: CVAL Prizing: In 2022-2023, there was $104,500 USD prize pool with $25,000 for first place. In 2023-2024, there was $18,250 USD Prize pool with $5,000 for first place. Would you be able to comment on potentially what happened here with the CVAL prize pool?
Riot and GGTech: “Our goal is to create a sustainable ecosystem for collegiate esports, which requires us to scale and adjust the prize pool accordingly. The changes reflect our ongoing efforts to ensure that the ecosystem remains healthy and can continue to grow. As the sport evolves, we continuously evaluate and adjust various aspects, including prize pools, to maintain a balance that supports long-term viability and growth. We are committed to supporting collegiate esports and will make further adjustments as necessary to foster a thriving and sustainable environment for all participants.”
COLLEGE ESPORTS NEWS: Is there a reason that the CVAL prizing was decreased (from $104k to $18k for the finals) but the CLoL prizing was not? In 2023 & 2024, the prizing for CLoL was $190k each year.
Riot and GGTech: “The adjustment in the CVAL prizing was made to align the prize pools for VALORANT with other competitions within our ecosystem. By aligning the prize pools, we aim to maintain a balanced and fair competitive landscape across all our esports titles. We are continuously evaluating various factors to determine what is best for keeping the ecosystem healthy and sustainable. This includes making necessary adjustments to prize pools and other resources.
We remain committed to supporting both CVAL and CLoL and will continue to make adjustments as needed to ensure the long-term viability and growth of collegiate esports.”
Riot’s Statement on the Trophy
Riot: “Unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision not to provide trophy replicas directly, and at that point, we offered the option for schools to order their own replicas.
However, we have heard the community and understand the importance of the winning team having something tangible to proudly display their achievement. With that in mind, we are actively exploring alternatives to offer something that teams can display. We want to find a long-term solution and are considering various options to ensure it meets the needs and expectations of the teams. It will take some time to finalize what this will look like.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience as we navigate these changes and strive to enhance the overall experience for all participants.”
