Mexican organization LYON became the latest org to withdraw from Valorant esports after they failed to secure Partner Status for 2027 & 2028.
The organization cited a “lack of structural guarantees for Latin America” and risk concerns as reasons for their departure from Valorant esports for the time being.
LYON explain Valorant departure after missing out on Partner Status
LYON shared the decision on social media, stating, “We want to share an important decision with our community regarding the future of Lyon in VALORANT.
“Following the resolution of the VCT Partner selection process for 2027, in which we participated in a transparent and professional manner, we have made the decision not to participate in the upcoming season of the circuit. “
LYON therefore became the latest organization to withdraw from the space following the announcement of the 2027 & 2028 Valorant partners, following in the footsteps of FOKUS, S8UL Esports, RIDDLE, and Global Esports, who shut down their entire esports division after the decision.
LYON described their decision, sharing, “Throughout this process, we put our club’s time, infrastructure, and vision for the growth of the scene on the table. However, after evaluating the current conditions of the circuit, the lack of structural guarantees for Latin America North (LAN), and a model where 100% of the risk falls on the clubs, we understand that today the ecosystem’s priorities are not aligned with those of our organization.”
In the 2027 and 2028 Valorant circuit, Partners will still enjoy revenue sharing through a ‘Partner base payment’ as well as skin sales and performance bonuses. Non-Partnered teams will receive special performance payments when they qualify for Tier 1 tournaments, like VCT Kickoff, Cups, Masters events, or Champions, but will not receive skin revenue.
That difference seems to have been the deciding factor that LYON are referencing when discussing “risk,” as the team has to perform well to earn revenue, without the base payment or skin sales to fall back on.
LYON continued, “We sincerely thank the staff, players, and technical team who represented Lyon with dedication in every competition. Likewise, we recognize the respectful dialogue with Riot Games during this process, and we maintain a cordial and institutional relationship.
“Our responsibility as management is to ensure that every project we participate in has a real impact on our subregion and our fans. Therefore, we will redirect our resources, talent, and infrastructure toward disciplines and spaces where the conditions to build for the long term truly exist, elevating the level of the LAN scene and delivering maximum value to our community and partners.
“To our community: Thank you for always being by our side. We continue working with the same passion on the fronts where our effort is indeed valued and where we can truly build something great together.”
LYON remain a League of Legends partner, so wanting to keep a cordial relationship with the Valorant developer is no surprise, however the emphasis that LYON need to engage “where the conditions to build for the long term truly exist” clearly implies that for non-partnered organizations, LYON’s view is that those conditions will not exist for 2027 & 2028.
Do you think the decision to withdraw from Valorant is right? Share your thoughts with us on the Insider Gaming Discord.
To see why LYON missed out, see Riot Games’ criteria for Partnership selection. And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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