KGeN, Riot Games to launch virtual training academy to produce Valorant athletes

The training academy will be led by gaming content creators and seasoned competitive gamers chosen from the Valorant community as trainers.

Accel-backed community-led gaming platform Kratos Gamer Network (KGeN) on September 18 announced a partnership with Riot Games, the renowned video game developer behind titles such as Valorant and League of Legends, to launch a data-driven virtual training academy called 'LIFT//OFF'.

The community-led training academy aims to elevate skills of aspiring players and produce professional Valorant athletes that can participate in official esports tournaments across the world. The academy will be led by gaming content creators and seasoned competitive gamers chosen from the Valorant community as trainers.

The initiative aims to select 20 creators from a pool of applicants. These creators will then form their own teams from within their communities with each creator either selecting five players for their team or playing alongside four players. In addition, 20 trainers will be selected, with each assigned to one of the creator-led teams.

The company said the first group of selections for LIFT//OFF will be made based on the player's in-game performance on Valorant. This includes number of hours played, win rates, successful kills, headshot percentage, and KDR (Kill-to-Death Ratio), combined with their social standing in the community, such as tournament wins, and content creation skills.

The academy will train players in both in-game strategies and the broader aspects of life as an esports professional. By mentoring participants in every facet of their social persona, KGeN aims to use the data to build the reputation and 'gamer cred' of everyone involved, the company said.

Data-driven insights will be used to tailor tutorials and challenges, helping each participant address specific areas where they need help, it said.

Top-performing teams will have the chance to showcase their skills in the official Valorant tournaments. In addition, creators and trainers will receive official Valorant merchandise.

Manish Agarwal, who was previously the CEO of Nazara Technologies, co-founded Kratos Studios with angel investor Ishank Gupta in early 2023 after acquiring Polygon Labs-backed IndiGG. In February 2023, Accel led a $20-million investment in the company, with participation from investors such as Prosus Ventures, Courtside Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners, and Nazara Technologies.

The company is building a decentralised gamer network that aims to make gamers the owners of their data. For the past couple of years, the company has been aggregating millions of micro-gaming communities across emerging markets and onboarding them to Web3 to create a Proof of Gamer Engine and The Kratos Gaming Network (KGeN).

Proof of Gamer Engine allows gamers to build, own, and monetise their gaming reputation while KGeN allows game developers across the world to engage with gamers across the game lifecycle. KGeN currently operates across India, Brazil, Nigeria, Southeast Asia and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.