Why is Global Esports leaving VALORANT after winning VCT Pacific?

Ahsan Kabir Published October 29, 2026

Global Esports (GE) has declared its exit from competitive gaming after nearly a decade in the industry, coming shortly after making their VALORANT Champions Shanghai debut – where they secured a 9th–12th place finish. In the farewell video, “Goodbye Global Esports,” Dr. Rushindra Sinha, the founder and CEO of Global Esports, explained the reason behind the exit from competitive gaming and announced the future plans of the company.

Why is Global Esports leaving competitive esports?

Sinha revealed that GE told Riot Games in November 2025 that 2026 would probably be its last year as a competitor in esports. The decision came because the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) partnership structure was changing.

While in discussion, Riot inquired how GE would proceed should it have an outstanding season and gain qualification to the Masters or Champions. GE finally qualified for both competitions, hence making its exit very interestingly timed.

Image Credits: Rushindra Sinha

Sinha noted that the management attempted to find ways to keep the players. However, having an entire business infrastructure for one team became unsustainable under the new environment.

Thus, it was necessary for GE to free its players to explore offers from other teams. According to Sinha, October 19, 2026, would be the last day of GE competition. For more insights into the changing international VALORANT scene, read our piece on the Americas’ takeover in VCT Shanghai.

GE exits after its most successful VALORANT season

GE’s departure comes after its most successful competitive season so far. In 2026, GE competed at Masters London and the Esports World Cup, later winning the VCT Pacific title for the first time in its history.

On September 6, GE managed to defeat the Nongshim RedForce roster 3-2 in the VCT Pacific Stage 2 finals held in Busan. After losing the first two maps, GE won three maps in a row to pull off the reverse sweep and win its first Pacific title.

Apart from this, that victory helped GE qualify for the VALORANT Champions 2026 tournament, which was held in Shanghai. At the tournament, they defeated EDward Gaming by 2-0, but failed to reach the playoffs after losing to Team Vitality and LOUD.

What is next for Global Esports?

Image Credits: Valorant Esports

GE will now shift their focus to GE Studios, a new project announced in Sinha’s farewell video. Utilizing the experience of the company in the fields of production, content creation, and community engagement, the new project will place emphasis on artificial intelligence.

Sinha emphasized how artificial intelligence can change game development as well as storytelling. However, no specific details have been provided regarding the studio concepts, launch dates, or specific products offered by the new business.

The decision comes as Riot Games prepares a revamped VCT format for 2027 featuring open qualifiers, Cups, Masters, and Champions. With plenty of different competitions, check out the list of best Valorant betting sites to wager on them.

While the new ecosystem aims to provide teams with broader opportunities, GE has chosen not to continue its competitive operations.

With its players now free agents, GE leaves behind a memorable legacy capped by a VCT Pacific championship. The organization’s next chapter will focus on applying its gaming expertise to innovate in AI through GE Studios.

Featured image credit: Valorant Esports