Riot Games reportedly banned Gen.G from using their Classic skin for VCT Masters Shanghai amid complicated issues with the Chinese government.
The global Valorant community is abuzz with criticism for Riot Games for preventing VCT Masters Shanghai winners Gen.G from using their bundle skin in the tournament. However, the unjust treatment of the Korean team is no surprise to fans, as Gen.G has been embroiled in an unusual political feud with the country in the past months.
The controversy that sparked it all was when Gen.G announced a visit to Taiwan late last year and recognized it as a country. This move led to friction with China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
Gen.G fans have already speculated about possible mistreatment of the team even prior to qualifying for the international event. Some have even gone as far as questioning whether the organization will be allowed into the event at all.
While Gen.G as an organization has been triumphant in Riot Games events held in China, winning both Valorant Masters and League of Legends MSI, issues with their treatment float after the said tournaments.
Despite the attention being pointed to Riot Games for enforcing the ban, fans may also consider this a business move for the developers as China remains on top of the most lucrative markets for both League of Legends and Valorant.
Considering that LCK (LoL Esports League of South Korea) was censored in the region at the start of the year, we can safely assume that China isn’t playing around regarding Gen.G.
Despite these issues and Lakia’s extreme COVID-19 experience during the tournament, Gen.G prevailed as the winner of the VCT Masters Shanghai, defeating fan-favorite Team Heretics of EMEA and being the first Asian organization to win an international Valorant trophy.
The season is far from done for the South Korean team, as VCT Pacific Stage 2 will soon commence in the third week of June.