Arena of Valor 2022 global expansion, $10 million tournament prize pool
In 2022, the Arena of Valor esports market will expand massively as the head of global esports at Tencent Games, Bernd Gottsmann, said that the company plans to extend MOBA games esports‘ horizons “across all layers” and introduce the game to additional locations. Moreover, increased investment will be made into the global esports market.
There used to be sports tournaments for AoV in the west, but these ended when the game failed to gain traction. However, due to the popularity of Riot’s new MOBA League of Legends: Wild Rift as well as the growth of mobile gaming in these markets, it appears that the Chinese company is planning a comeback.
AoV World Cup 2022 prize pool
During the Arena of Valor International Championship 2021 finals live broadcast on Sunday, the company revealed plans for the Arena of Valor World Cup in 2022 (AWC). The fifth season of the World Cup will be one of the most important esports events in history. With a massive prize pool of $10 million, the largest prize pool in any mobile gaming esports tournament to date.
Since its inception in 2018, the Arena of Valor 2022 World Cup has established itself as the most prestigious competition in esports. Given that AWC 2021 had a prize pool of $500,000, the rise in the tournament’s reward is significant.
Every team that competes in the AWC 2022 will receive a guaranteed prize of $250,000, with the victor receiving $3.5 million Furthermore, Gottsman also indicated that the World Cup would feature teams from all across the world.
AoV opens worldwide, partnership with Honor of Kings
In AWC 2022, the format of AoV’s flagship tournament is one of the most significant adjustments the company has made. Until this year, the AWC was only open to teams from Southeast Asia and East Asia, while the prize money was substantially less.
However, beginning next year, AWC wants to expand to numerous regions throughout the world, making it genuinely worldwide. Teams from Asia, North America, South America, the Middle East, and Europe are expected to compete at AWC 2022
There will be 16 slots for the tournament, the same as last year. Due to this, the competition for these spots will multiply, more teams from around the world will be able to qualify through regional competitions.
In addition, Arena of Valor also announced a new format for its AoV World Cup 2022, which will see AoV teams from all around the world partner up with teams from the Chinese MOBA powerhouse Honor of Kings (HoK).
The game’s mechanics are identical, but the heroes differ in various ways. The company said that it will address the issue by creating a new esports version that will feature a mix of heroes from both AoV and HoK, in order to ensure competitive integrity, fairness, and balance in the game.
Roadmap of AoV 2022
According to Gottsman, AWC 2022 will be divided into five phases. Regional competitions include Amateur Tournaments, Regional Cup, and Semi-Pro Tournaments, as well as Pro Leagues, whilst international events include AIC and AWC.
Between January and May 2002, Regional Tournaments and Season 1 of the Pro Leagues will take place. The top teams will then progress to the AoV International Championship 2022, which will be held in June 2022. Pro League Season 2 will take place between July and September 2022, after AIC 2022.
In October 2022, the World Cup will begin after all other events are over.
