A well-established global esports organization with a rich history in European League of Legends and a successful track record in Counter-Strike championships has taken its first step into the world of VALORANT.
SK Gaming, a long-standing presence in European League of Legends, announced its official entry into the VALORANT scene today, marking the final current LEC member to venture into the emerging tactical FPS game. Astralis recently left the LEC, making room for Karmine Corp, which had already been competing in VCT EMEA. SK Gaming was the last organization to commit to VALORANT.
In the realm of European League of Legends, SK Gaming has maintained a competitive presence for over a decade. However, despite their two World Championship appearances in 2012 and 2014, they have yet to secure a league championship. In contrast, SK Gaming has a proven track record of winning titles in the world of tactical shooters.
For several years, SK Gaming competed in CS:GO with a European roster, but they made a significant move in the summer of 2016 by acquiring the renowned Brazilian roster from Luminosity. This move paid off almost immediately when they won a Major trophy at ESL One Cologne a few months later. The core roster, featuring legendary players like FalleN, fer, and coldzera, continued to amass trophies through the end of 2017. Eventually, these players left to revive the MIBR brand in the summer of 2018, marking SK’s departure from Counter-Strike.
As for SK Gaming’s plans in VALORANT, several possibilities are on the table. Given their extensive history in both Europe and Brazil, they could consider recruiting Challengers rosters in either region and aim for a rapid ascent in the competitive scene. North America also offers a wealth of emerging talent in the Challengers circuit, and SK Gaming could choose to venture into the Game Changers scene. Early speculation suggests that the reported G2-V1 merger could potentially open up opportunities with teams like G2 Gozen or the Version1 roster.