We here at Run it Back appreciate the international appeal of Valorant. To that end we try to pay attention to how Valorant is doing in the less popular Valorant regions, such as Latin America (LatAm). Recently we did scores for an event that was hosted in South America, the GGTech Valorant Invitational 2. We were enjoying watching the games despite not being able to understand a word the casters were saying (aside from them shouting “GG” at the end of every match). However, part of my own enjoyment came from seeing production techniques implemented that we haven’t seen before in other Valorant esports streams.

LatAm Production

Among other things, these were the standout features that were shown during the GGTech Valorant Invitational 2 production:

• A visible timer for the spike! Almost every time the spike was planted, a timer would show up in the upper right hand corner showing exactly how much time was left to defuse it. A handful of times, the timer didn’t show up, but considering how novel this feature is, we can definitely forgive the occasional miss.

• Split screen for when there’s only one player left on each side. Whenever it was down to 1v1, the screen would split to show the perspective of each surviving player. This was cool to watch and undoubtedly added to the entertainment value of the show.

• Cards that show agent abilities. These would occasionally show up when they were relevant, and they were super handy. Most players of Valorant probably don’t need to see them if they’re familiar enough with the game to know each agent’s abilities. Still, this was a nice touch because reminders are good. Plus, it’s a nice feature for newcomers to the game.

NA Has Some Catching Up To Do

We haven’t seen any of the above features in any North American Valorant esports production so far. Furthermore, these features were implemented seamlessly, without stream lag or stuttering. Compare the above with the Pulse Series tournament, which not only didn’t have these nifty features, but also had numerous technical difficulties. Several times during the stream, we would be on the receiving end of lag and/or stutter. During the Lower Bracket Finals between Beastcoast and Luminosity Gaming, the stream cut out during the final round where LG claimed victory.

Admittedly, we have only seen a small sampling of LatAm Valorant esports production. Still, it was more entertaining because of the features it implemented, and there weren’t any technical difficulties visible with one’s bare eye. The fact that we couldn’t understand a word was honestly secondary to how well put-together and executed this production was.

Why is it so that Valorant esports streams in other countries are better produced than on Riot Games’ home turf? While we have no idea what the answer is, North American productions need to step up their game at this rate. Perhaps Riot can help out the NA production teams that are struggling to keep up. They may need some aid.

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