NODWIN Invitational's reception exhibits the potential Valorant has in Indian esports

NODWIN Gaming has wasted no time in going all-out for Riot Gaming's newest FPS title, Valorant. On Tuesday, the esports organisation hosted its first Valorant Invitational tournament to gauge the potential of the game in the Indian esports scene. And let's just say, in a demographic where PUBG MOBILE dominates the headlines, Valorant's (a PC-only game) reception was impressive enough to suggest there is future for the 5v5 character-based tactical shooter in India.

The NODWIN Valorant Invitational was streamed on YouTube on NODWIN Gaming's official handle and on the channels of most of the participating streamers and players. The tournament, which featured a prize pool of ₹175,000, clocked over half a million views combined. NODWIN's official channel had the lion's share of views with 364,000 viewers watching the streaming Tuesday evening.

Rohan 'HydraFlick' Ledwani, who led one of the teams in the tournament, clocked over 225,000 views in his personal stream. Similar numbers were achieved by Ankit 'V3NOM' Panth of Team V3NOM and Shagufta 'XYAA' Iqbal of Team XYAA. 

Granted, viewership numbers aren't always definite indication of whether a game will sustain its popularity when the early hype dies. But, as it appears, NODWIN Gaming is determined to reach new heights with Valorant in India. Just an hour after the invitational tournament crowned its winners, the organisers announced the Valorant Agni Series, an open-for-all tournament, with a prize pool of a whopping ₹625,000. 

Agni Series will comprise of four qualifiers, scheduled to start later this month and a grand finale. Also, to amp up the intrigue for the upcoming competition, the organisers will be hosting the Agni Series in two separate events - one for the participating teams and one solely for influencers. Of the total ₹625,000 purse, ₹425,000 is allotted for the headlining tournament and the remaining for the competing influencers. 

The success of Valorant Agni Series, chances of which presumably seems high, will be crucial in determining if Valorant has what it take to take on the likes of DOTA 2, CS: GO and COD in India. With the Valorant Ignition Series becoming the new rage in the global esports community, it might just be about time for Indian professional gamers to hop onto Riot's FPS title. 

NODWIN Valorant Invitational results

Team V3NOM took home the winners tag at the end of the gruelling seven-match series. Ankit 'V3NOM' Panth led his side to a 2-0 (Best of 3) win over Global Esports to get their hands on the ₹75,000 cash prize. Team Fnatic Nemo and Team 8Bit Thug, both of whom were eliminated in the first round, were the biggest busts of Tuesday's tournament. 

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(Image Credits: NODWIN Gaming Instagram Handle)