Apeks leave Valorant after VCT EMEA relegation

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 14/10/2025

Norwegian esports organisation APEKS have announced they are leaving Valorant for now after three years in the first-person shooter.

Apeks competed in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA this year, having earned promotion by winning Ascension EMEA 2024.

However, the organisation were relegated along with Gentle Mates after failing to qualify for any Valorant Majors in 2025.

Though Gentle Mates are returning to VCT EMEA after Riot kicked KOI from the league.

Apeks released a statement online, announcing: “We have decided to pause our Valorant operation.”

While this leaves room for Apeks to return to Valorant in future, the organisation is taking a break from the esport.

Apeks claims the primary reason for this pause was due to Riot changing how long their VCT guest slot would last:

“When we chose to reinvest in VCL for the 2024 season, it was based on the understanding that we were competing for a two-year spot in VCT.

“However, at the end of that season, Riot decided to reduce this to a one-year slot. By that point, our investment had already been made, leaving us unable to adjust our plans.”

Apeks’ statement claims that this last-minute change forced the organisation to take significant budget cuts to what they had planned for this year.

As a result, they claim this is why the organisation failed to be competitive and didn’t win a single VCT series this year.

Riot Games has since changed how the Challenger scene in Valorant works again, with teams competing for a Valorant Champions place next year instead.

Due to this Apeks says:

“Ultimately, while we are confident that we could once again build a high-calibre roster for VCL, the current system no longer aligns with the conditions that initially led us to invest in the space.”

VCT Ascension EMEA 2025 will promote two teams for the first time

While Apeks leave the scene, two EMEA challenger teams will get the opportunity of a lifetime.

The VCT Ascension EMEA 2025 new format and dates have now been confirmed for the exciting promotion tournament.

This could be the final time teams get promoted directly into the next season of VCT EMEA after the aforementioned changes from Riot.

While the two winning teams will only have a guaranteed slot for a year, they can earn a longer stay through strong performances.

Which is easier said than done, as we’ve seen with Apeks’ struggles this year.

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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