Excel Esports revealed is first female esports roster on Thursday as the organization aims to compete in VCT: Game Changers EMEA in 2023.
The roster includes the former N1MP lineup of Cornelia “Neli” Johansson, India “cataLina” Dubourg, Safaa “Purii” Baydi and Camille “Luzia” Millet along with former Acend Rising player Samantha “Samsi” Caddell and former Rix.GG Lightning player Daniela “Jupi” Gradl.
Excel Esports team manager Kevin “Noizeeh” Jaskiewicz will support the new Valorant team as well.
The former N1MP roster finished top-5 in the 2022 Medusa Series, which was won by Samsi’s team.
“This is an amazing opportunity for Excel and the players involved,” Noizeeh said in a statement. “We have dedicated a lot of time to work on a roster that could bring Excel’s values to female Valorant esports. We’re investing heavily in our players and are forming the infrastructure around what works best for them because we’re confident in their potential to dominate the competition.”
VCT Game Changers was announced last year as part of an effort to create more opportunities and exposure for women in Valorant esports. The 2022 championship was the most viewed female Valorant event in history with a peak viewership of more than 230,000.
Riot recently announced the Game Changers format moving forward will include academy, amateur and contenders competitions.
“Over the course of the Game Changers Championships, we have seen so many inspiring stories that female players across the world could identify with,” Excel chief operating officer Tim Reichert said in a statement. “At Excel, we want to offer something new to show young female players a path into esports and believe through signing an existing squad who work well together competitively and socially, we could help and support them to being the best they could be.
“We hope that this will encourage more female gamers to get into esports and our success will come from our dedication to developing the scene.”
–Field level Media