by Evil Geniuses recently announced its newly signed all-female Valorant team, which it acquired from Dignitas.
The CEO of Evil Geniuses, Nicole LaPointe Jameson, spoke on the acquisition and revealed that the organization was lucky to gain “an authentic position in women’s esports space.” The esports group also explained that while both of its teams could be called EG Valorant, the all-female team could also be called EG Game Changers Valorant.
The team’s lineup will reportedly remain the same as before the acquisition. The roster includes Emmalee “EMUHLEET” Garrido, the in-game leader, Melisa “theia” Mundorff, Juliana “Showliana” Maransaldi, Amanda “rain” Smith, and Stefanie “Stefanie” Jones.
The announcement tweet revealed that David “Xp3” Garrido would join the team as the coach. The head coach of the original Evil Geniuses’ VALORANT team, Christine “potter” Chi, would be in charge of both teams.
LaPointe explained that the new EG team would be put into an athletics program instead of a gaming one. The team will be moved to the company’s facility in Los Angeles, which will provide them with “subsidized housing, physical fitness conditioning, nutrition, and data-driven training.”
She explained that the priority of the organization would be to make an effort to get to know the new players, a move that the CEO claimed was crucial for victory. All the Valorant players in the organization’s teams regularly underwent a personalized assessment that located growth areas.
This could involve confidence-building programs, in-depth training for the role of a teammate, or enhancing intrapersonal interaction. LaPointe revealed that at the end of the assessment, the company always had high hopes for the outcome. “We will set reasonable milestones for placement. But we won’t be satisfied until we’re number one in the league,” she said.
The former Dignitas women’s roster is the first all-women’s competitive team in the history of the esports organization and will be making its debut during the 2022 Astral Clash Finals held in Los Angeles on August 6. The players qualified for the tournament while still playing under Dignitas.
As a result of increasing expenses and the strict partnership process, several prominent esports organizations have left Valorant. A large number of organizations were previously and still are struggling to get a position in the few slots available for the Riot Games’ overhauled Valorant leagues.
Evil Geniuses is among the hordes of esports companies, and LaPointe revealed that the company was pleased with the entire process. She said, “Riot’s been a great partner to us on all of our titles. They have been really great, I think for all participants actually, at transparency, evaluating the milestones, the needs. We’ve been really happy with this process as a whole.”
The CEO also talked about the organization’s interest in building up the Valorant scene, especially for underrepresented groups, such as all-female teams. Evil Geniuses’ most recent effort to expand the Valorant division in their organization is Game Changers.
EG initially debuted on the Valorant scene in early 2021 with a mixed-gender lineup led by potter. The roster was eventually revamped, and the players were changed to men, excluding potter, who grew to be the head coach.
Stage One of NA VCT, which took place this year, saw the team go home with a disappointing 0-5 showing. They regrouped, and in Stage Two, they came out as one of the top six teams and qualified for the upcoming LCQ. Evil Geniuses is reportedly vying for a partnered position in VCT in 2023 to improve its position in Valorant.
