Image: Riot Games
Bleed Esports were terminated due to their failure to comply with critical reporting requirements, according to Riot.
In a significant development for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific League, developer Riot Games announced the removal of Bleed Esports from the league due to their failure to comply with critical requirements as a partnered team.
To maintain the 12-team format for the 2025 season, VCT Pacific Ascension runners-up BOOM Esports have been promoted alongside Ascension winners Sin Prisa Gaming. The announcement, made on Friday (4 October) via Riot Games' social media, explained the reasons for Bleed Esports' removal:
“After careful consideration, Riot Games have made the decision to remove Bleed Esports from the VALORANT Champions Tour and VCT Pacific. Bleed Esports were terminated due to their failure to comply with critical reporting requirements and other key obligations under the Team Participation Agreement (TPA),” the statement read.
According to Riot, this was “not a decision [they] take lightly, but ‘persistent operational failures’ of the organisation eventually led to this decision, in an effort “to protect the best interests of the players and the league.”
Riot also assured that affected players were promptly notified, stating, "the individual players affected were informed of the decision as soon as it was made to allow them to explore other opportunities as quickly as possible."
Bleed also posted a statement regarding Riot's decision.
“We are deeply disappointed by this outcome, but we respect Riot's decision and will continue to cooperate with them throughout this process,” Bleed's statement read.
Bleed also said that the organisation had been trying address issues related to their deliverables in the TPA under Riot, but were unable to rectify the issues satisfactorily.
“We will take some time to process and evaluate our organization's position within the title. Meanwhile, we will continue to support our VALORANT players and staff during this situation as we remain eligible for Challengers.”
Bleed Esports originally secured their spot in the VCT Pacific League after winning the VCT Ascension Pacific 2023 in Bangkok.
The Singaporean organisation initially retained three core players, later adding Javier “Egoist” Chua and North American duelist Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker. The team made further roster adjustments in the months following.
An insider has revealed to GosuGamers that Bleed Esports are allegedly in trouble across all of their teams, with numerous players reportedly seeking legal action over the organisation’s failure to pay their salaries.
BOOM Esports promoted
With Bleed out of the Pacific League, Riot confirmed that BOOM Esports, the 2024 VCT Ascension runner-up, will take their place. The statement concluded by clarifying that the 12-team format would continue, saying, “This change does not affect 2025 formats for VCT Pacific; the league will continue with 12 teams as planned.”
BOOM Esports was founded in 2016 and debuted with their inaugural Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squad, which included current Paper Rex player Aaron "mindfreak" Leonhart and CEO Gary "Natshuba" Ongko. Until BOOM acquired the Brazilian roster from INTZ, which featured Brazilian star João "felps" Vasconcellos for a year, Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto was a member of the squad from 2018 to 2020.
Its VCT team had an impressive run in the VCT Ascension Pacific 2024, where they fought their way to the finals. Despite a valiant effort, BOOM fell short to Sin Prisa Gaming, losing the grand final 2-3. Their strong performance throughout the tournament secured their position as a top contender in the region, and with
More details are expected to emerge as this story develops.
