Riot Games' 5-on-5 tactical shooter VALORANT drew millions of viewers Tuesday during Day 1 of the game's closed beta launch to give the developer the two highest concurrent Twitch viewerships of all time.
On Twitch, one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world, the game nearly broke the concurrent viewership record, with VALORANT peaking at over 1.7 million viewers watching various streams playing the game for the first time. Along with top players and streaming personalities playing the game, viewers were given a chance to win access to the beta themselves in certain channels. The game nearly eclipsed Riot's own record with its flagship title, League of Legends, which holds a Twitch-record 1.74 million concurrents.
More: Check out ESPN's VALORANT hub for character analysis and more game info | VALORANT closed beta roundtable | What esports pros, community members and our staff had to say about VALORANT's launch
With its peak viewership of over 1.7 million, VALORANT's beta day launch cleared almost every event in Twitch history, including the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 (1.6 million), which awarded $3 million to its solo division champion Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf in New York City. Overall, the only event that VALORANT couldn't dethrone on its opening day was a game developed by the same company, League of Legends, where its most-recent world championship final between Europe's G2 Esports and FunPlus Phoenix peaked at 1.74 million viewers on Twitch.
VALORANT's peak was 1.73 million.
"That moment when it stops being ours, and it starts being yours," VALORANT executive producer Anna Donlon said on social media. "Big [hearts] to all the players joining us today and in the future. It is a humbling moment."
Although an esports plan hasn't been announced by Riot, news is expected next week on upcoming plans for the game in the competitive scene. Donlon and game director Joseph Ziegler teased future plans with Benjamin "DrLupo" Lupo in a Q&A on his popular stream. Both said that they would see how the community ran with the game and its competitive world first before making any concrete decisions on the future of VALORANT's esports landscape. David Higdon, the global head of communications for Riot, announced Tuesday on Twitter that the company will have an esports update next week.
VALORANT is set for an official release this summer in most major regions for free on PC.