Riot Games has announced that on October 14, Valorant will expand its servers to the Middle East with the launch of newly dedicated servers for the region.
Arabic language support will also be added to the new tactical first-person shooter and will be available across all regions. This comes shortly after an Arabic Valorant website was launched on October 1, sparking fan interest and rumors of the possibility of a dedicated server. Players across the region will also be given a special in-game item to commemorate the new server launch.
Valorant developers have expressed interest in better engaging players in the Middle East and North Africa regions, including in esports.
Riot expands Valorant to the Middle East
Riot is planning to run its first international esports tournament for Valorant, First Strike. It will include players from all regions and will offer teams the first chance to compete in Valorant at a global level. Esports participation within the Middle East region is often not very well represented, with few players gaining prominent professional positions. With First Strike, there will be tournaments held just for this region, and its players will have a new opportunity to gain international attention from the game's community.
The launch of the dedicated servers in the Middle East coincides with the release of Valorant’s newest act, which includes a new map, Icebox. This is also set to launch on October 13 in unranked. On October 27, the map will be added to the rotation for competitive play. Valorant will also see the addition of its newest hero, Skye.
Between these new servers, a new map, a new hero, and Riot's increasingly inclusive esports initiative, Valorant fans have a lot to look forward to in the near future. More details about First Strike were revealed recently, and the event will begin on November 9 and run through November 22.
