UK-based esports tournament provider and solutions agency Promod Esports has announced it is launching Beacon, a competitive Valorant circuit for the Northern European Region, in association with Riot Games.
The regional circuit will aim to ‘bridge the gap between matchmaking and the wider Valorant esports ecosystem’, creating new pathways for players in the UK, Ireland and Nordic regions.
Beacon will have two splits per year, with each split comprising numerous tournaments operated by third-party organisers, where teams will earn points based on their performance. Points will be used to determine division and seeding for the Circuit Finals at the end of each split.
Organisers say having multiple divisions for each Circuit Final ‘creates opportunities for players of all abilities to have their Grand Finals moment, and a clear indication of how they shape up against the entire region’.
As the licence holders of the Regional League in Valorant for Northern Europe (Polaris), Promod is now expanding the existing Valorant esports ecosystem to include Beacon, serving as a new entry point for competitive play across the UK, Ireland and Nordics.
“We are delighted to be working with Promod Esports in launching Beacon, which will offer new and exciting opportunities for competitive Valorant players in the community within Northern Europe.”
Will Attwood, Riot Games
Promod is working with Riot Games, tournament organisers and Valorant communities to host tournaments across the Northern European Region. During Split 1, Valorant community The Goose House (June 11th and 12th 2022) and esports gaming platform LeaguesGG (June 25th and 26th) will host their own online tournaments, with full details to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Dreamhack Summer (June 18th to 20th) and Epic.LAN 36 (July 8th to 10th) will have LAN competition for attending players, creating a combination of ways to accrue circuit points.
Beacon’s first Circuit Finals will take place between August 19th and 20th, consisting of three divisions of competitive play. Featuring a €10,000 prize pool distributed between all divisions of play, teams will compete in elimination brackets to crown division champions.
The news is in line with the announcement Riot made in late 2021 about the 2022 Valorant esports ecosystem, including grassroots Valorant Regional Circuits.
“We are delighted to be working with Promod Esports in launching Beacon, which will offer new and exciting opportunities for competitive Valorant players in the community within Northern Europe,” said Will Attwood, competitive experience manager for Northern Europe at Riot Games.
“We look forward to welcoming new players to Valorant esports!”
“The start of a player’s journey in esports begins with small communities competing with each other and this is still a vital part of esports,” added Rob Black, CEO of Promod Esports.
“We’re proud to be working with Riot Games to create and manage that stepping stone for players in Northern Europe, while at the same time being able to work with fantastic communities and existing competitions to give players many possible routes to becoming the next superstar.”
For more information on Beacon, eligible tournaments and circuit finals information, visit the Beacon website and socials.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
