VALORANT has picked up its first Sports Emmy, with the popular first-person shooter game taking home the award for ‘Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage’.
While it is the first Sports Emmy to be awarded to VALORANT, the 2025 award is Riot Games’ sixth win in the category.
VALORANT takes home first-ever Emmy
The Emmy for covering an Esports Championship event was for the VALORANT Champions 2024 Grand Final. The final featured EDward Gaming and Team Heretics, with the former winning in a thrilling match that required all five games.
Viewership figures for the series were at an all-time high for a VALORANT tournament with 1,442,558 fans tuned in at its peak. The event topped VALORANT’s previous record for peak viewers which was 120,000 less at the 2023 tournament.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the award to VALORANT. The academy’s rulebook describes the award requirements as follows:
The submission video should reflect how the event is captured for the viewer and be primarily
composed of gameplay, athlete and audience reaction and live or live to tape contributions from
talent such as a host or analyst.
The entry will not be judged on the quality of the video game itself, but rather on the merits of the
coverage and presentation of the competition to the viewer.
VALORANT becomes just the sixth winner of the Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage category, with the award first introduced to the Emmy’s in 2019.
Speaking via LinkedIn following the win, Riot Games said: “This recognition is a testament to the growth of VALORANT Esports, the passion of the team behind this show, and the global community of VALORANT players who look to see the best of the best compete. Thank you to the players, fans, and Rioters who helped bring this show to life.”
The VALORANT Champions 2025 will take place in Paris, France from September 12th to October 5th.
