The final day of the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA Stage 1 group stage was inundated with tech issues, to the point that matches couldn’t be played and had to be postponed. Riot Games and the VCT team have now provided an update on what exactly went wrong and how they intend to make things right.

On April 25, the final day of the group stage was due to take place with Team Liquid taking on Karmine Corp and Fnatic against Team Heretics. While all four teams have booked their slot in the playoffs, these matches are vital for seeding, especially with Fnatic and Heretics both 4-0 going into the final day and trying to become the #1 seed from their group.

However, only one map was played – taking three hours to do so –  fighting through a number of tech issues, and the organisers failed to get things under control.

While the schedule for the remaining matches has not yet been revealed, Riot have explained how they’re aiming to fix the issue:

“Whether you’re competing in the arena, casting, or tuning in to cheer for your team, the experience during this stage hasn’t met the standard you deserve,” they explained in a social media post on April 28. “We own that, full stop. Our team has been working diligently since the postponed showday on Friday to resolve the on-site technical issues we have encountered during Stage 1.

“We are making infrastructural changes, swapping out the PCs on stage with updated PCs, with new equipment ordered that is either already at, or en route to the studio for testing.”

Riot Games PC updates after VCT EMEA group stage tech issues
Image Credit: Twitter: valesports_EMEA

They went on to add that they’re targeting to complete finished matches “this week” on week commencing April 28, before a live audience can enjoy the arena and matches once again once playoffs start on May 8.

They’re also providing the following compensation for spectators who traveled more than 200km:

  • Ticket to VCT Champions Grand Finals;
  • 2x Tickets to VCT EMEA;
  • Riot Games Merch voucher for €300;
  • Riot Gun Buddy.

That is on top of the full refund already announced for all those who attended the event.

Following the dramatic events of the final day of groups, a number of organizations put out similarly-worded statements, that they “have decided we will not be participating in VCT EMEA playoffs until issues affecting the players have been resolved.”

Based on the timeline provided by Riot Games, the problem should be resolved by Wednesday, April 30, giving a few days for teams to play their last scheduled matches and then start preparing for playoffs.