The VCT 2023: Game Changers Championship became the most popular women's tournament in Valorant

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On December 3rd, the Valorant Champions Tour 2023: Game Changers Championship concluded in Brazil. This event drew nearly 294,000 viewers at its peak, making it one of the most popular tournaments in women's esports.

Since the launch of their team-based shooter Valorant, Riot Games has actively developed an inclusive professional scene for the game. Aside from traditional men's leagues and tournaments, the developers annually hold a series called Game Changers, where women's teams and representatives of various genders compete.

Game Changers embodies all the attributes of a professional league: regional qualifications, a LAN tournament format for the final, and a substantial prize pool. In 2022, the Game Changers Championship final took place in Berlin, while in 2023, the concluding tournament was hosted in São Paulo. At each event, participants competed for a $500,000 prize pool. For comparison, this prize pool matches what the world's top teams contested for in the recent Dota 2 majors.

Shopify Rebellion team with the trophy / Photo: twitter.com/ValorantEsports/

The VCT 2023: Game Changers Championship featured eight teams from six regions: the top representatives from Europe, North America, Brazil, Latin America, East Asia, and Southeast Asia competed for the main prize. Among the participants were Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, KRU Esports, G2 Esports, and other clubs. Ultimately, the championship was won by the women's roster Shopify Rebellion, formerly known as Version1. In the finals, they defeated Team Liquid Brazil with a score of 3:2, earning $180,000.

VCT 2023: Game Changers Championship Viewership Statistics

The matches of the VCT 2023: Game Changers Championship were covered by over 140 unique channels. Apart from the official game broadcasts, popular content creators like Tarik, Coreano, WtcN, Kyedae, and many others also provided coverage. Thanks to active community casting, the recent Game Changers Championship gathered over 293,900 peak viewers — the highest among all Valorant women's tournaments. Moreover, it stands as the third-highest in women's esports history. Only two tournaments for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang managed to achieve a larger audience reach.

Most Popular Women's Tournaments in Esports

Compared to last year's Game Changers Championship, all key metrics saw improvement. The peak online viewership surged by a staggering 23%. The average viewers per broadcast increased by 8.5%, and the total watch time grew by 3%.

Comparison of Game Changers Championship Tournaments in 2022 and 2023

Currently, the most popular women's tournament in esports remains the 32nd SEA Games - Women's Tournament. The May tournament gathered over 1.3 million peak viewers. It's worth noting that the top 10 women's tournaments only include events for Mobile Legends and Valorant.