Hours after the format for the next international VALORANT LAN was revealed, Riot Games’ VALORANT Esports team has now officially altered the format for VCT Masters Three Berlin following significant negative community response. The tournament will now culminate in an eight-team, single-elimination bracket instead of a four-team bracket. The final planned match for each group stage will also be eliminated.
Originally, the four groups of four teams were each going to compete in their own double-elimination bracket, with the single winner from each advancing to the playoffs. Fans were disappointed at the lack of teams competing in playoffs, expressing concern the second-best team in each group wouldn’t advance to playoffs. By the time the change was announced, the top post on the competitive VALORANT subreddit was one titled “Please Change Masters 3 format.”
In the latest announcement from Riot, Alex Francois, the head of competitive operations for VALORANT Esports, acknowledged the questions pitted by the community regarding the format. He says the original format was selected because the first round of an eight-team knockout playoffs would have to start on the same day that group stages ended, forcing teams to compete in playoffs without any preparation or rest.
Masters Three Berlin still begins Sep. 9, with only a small handful of teams still to be determined before group stage play begins.
