Fragadelphia, a renowned organizer of offline esports tournaments since 2014, abruptly switched gears on January 30th.
Their planned valorant tournament, FRAG/MENT, scheduled for March 15th-17th, was unexpectedly replaced by a CS:GO competition titled CS2 due to a lack of participant registrations (zero teams signed up).
Fragadelphia boasts a rich history in fostering North American esports talent, particularly through their CS:GO tournaments.
They’ve hosted various offline events, catering to both major tournaments with prize pools exceeding $5 million and smaller grassroots events with $100,000 purses.
Their venture into valorant esports began with excitement on January 13th, announcing the first-ever FRAG/MENT valorant tournament.
The event promised a large venue experience, offline competition, and prize money based on team rankings, attracting potential participants despite a $500 entry fee (approximately 70,000 yen).
However, within just two weeks, the sudden title change to CS2 left the community baffled. The organizer’s initial attempt to attract players with the tagline “Don’t be cooped up, gather four friends and form a team” now seemed ironic.
Further speculations within the community point towards potential scheduling conflicts as a contributing factor. The planned valorant dates coincided with the midst of both the North American Challenger League and International League, potentially hindering team participation due to scheduling constraints.
Key Points:
- Fragadelphia cancelled their valorant tournament FRAG/MENT due to zero registrations.
- The event was replaced by a CS:GO competition named CS2.
- Potential scheduling conflicts with existing leagues are suspected to have impacted participation.
- This highlights the challenges of establishing valorant’s offline presence in North America.