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  • Los Angeles Times

    Forget Harry Styles. Riot Games is one of LA's biggest stars headlining the Kia Forum

    LOS ANGELES — The roar of cheering fans echoed across the Kia Forum on Saturday as singers took the stage beneath glimmering lights and flashes of flame to perform a dramatic opening act. But the thousands gathered in Inglewood over the weekend weren't screaming for Sam Smith or Harry Styles — they were cheering for professional esports players. The Valorant Champions Tour grand final, which ...
    by Sarah Parvini, Los Angeles Times Aug 31, 2023 5 minutes
    The Valorant Champions Tour from Los Angeles- based Riot Games sold out the Kia Forum, with 11,500 people attending the esport’ s final.

    LOS ANGELES — The roar of cheering fans echoed across the Kia Forum on Saturday as singers took the stage beneath glimmering lights and flashes of flame to perform a dramatic opening act.

    But the thousands gathered in Inglewood over the weekend weren't screaming for Sam Smith or Harry Styles — they were cheering for professional esports players.

    The Valorant Champions Tour grand final, which drew 11,500 people, was hosted by Los Angeles-based video game giant Riot Games.

    A first-person shooter game launched in 2020, "Valorant" is a core Riot title and key to the company's strategy to continue its growth as a dominant esports presence. In the free-to-play game, teams of five face off and play agents with unique abilities.

    Such in-person events are part of Riot's long-term investment strategy in esports, which has soared in popularity: Tickets for Saturday's grand final sold out in two minutes. The event boasted a

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