How Raidiant is changing the esports landscape

May 12, 2025

If you’ve been paying attention to esports over the last few years, you’ve probably noticed that a slight shift started to happen. Finally, the scene is becoming more inclusive. More diverse. More lively. And much of that change has Raidiant’s name written all over it.

As someone who’s grown up around games and is now working towards a career in the industry, it’s clear that we’ve never seen this many high-level tournaments focused on women. Raidiant is playing a big role in that progress, and it’s genuinely exciting to see how much the scene is evolving (and be a part of it).

Founded by Heather ‘sapphiRe’ Garozzo (a legend in her own right), Raidiant isn’t just talking about making change. They’re doing it. They’re out there running huge tournaments, partnering with major names like Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, and Twitch, and giving women and gender-diverse players real stages to compete on. Not side events. Not afterthoughts. The real deal.

Raidiant Challenger Circuit

One of the most impactful things Raidiant did to shake up the esports scene was launching the Raidiant Challenger Circuit (RCC). Built in partnership with Twitch, it ran a full year (April 2023-January 2024) and featured competitive, pro-am, and influencer-led tournaments across five of the biggest titles in esports:

• Valorant
• League of Legends
• Fortnite
• Overwatch
• Rocket League

The RCC brought pros, creators, and rising stars together in a serious, competitive space, but also welcoming and fun.

As we continue to demonstrate that there’s a substantial appetite for more women’s esports programming, I look forward to expanding upon our events, and working with even more brands to support the community, and provide opportunities for the thousands of women participants, talent, producers, and gaming professionals who make all of this possible. – Heather ‘sapphiRe’ Garozzo

Raidiant’s Pivotal Tournaments

In addition to the RCC, Raidiant has also played a key role in some of the biggest moments for women in competitive gaming:

• VCT Game Changers: In 2024, Raidiant collaborated with Riot Games to produce and broadcast the VCT Game Changers North America Series 1, 2, and 3.
  • The combined average of all three series reached 12,228 peak viewers and 4,255 average viewers (source: Esports Charts).
  • These events helped break viewership records for women’s esports, demonstrating the increasing popularity and support for women’s competitions.
  • These three series led to the VCT Game Changers Championship, which became the most-watched women’s PC gaming competition at the time, with a peak viewership of over 460,000 viewers (source: Esports Charts).
  • In keeping with its goal of elevating women in esports, Raidiant is returning for VCT Game Changers 2025.

• Ally Women’s Open (Rocket League): Raidiant played a key role in the 2024 launch of the Ally Women’s Open in Rocket League, a groundbreaking tournament with the biggest transatlantic women’s prize pool in the game’s history: $40,000 ($20,000 for North America and $20,000 for Europe).
  • The tournament attracted a substantial audience, with over 9,000 peak viewers and 6,000 average viewers. It featured top talent from North America and Europe in distinct regional brackets.
• Star Chasers Showdown (Rocket League): In 2024, Raidiant and Ally also introduced the Star Chasers Showdown series, a Rocket League tournament designed to determine the top women’s teams in North America and Europe. With a $75,000 prize pool, the event gave rising stars a chance to shine at the greatest level.
  • The event featured quarterly tournaments in which teams competed in an open qualifying round to earn a spot in the main event.
  • Top female professionals, content creators, and elite players from the College Rocket League (CRL) and Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) were invited for an exciting live broadcast draft and a coed tournament at the unique Ally All Stars event in November, marking the end of the competition format. This unique event brought together some of Rocket League’s biggest communities, creating a lively and exciting atmosphere.
• Overwatch Calling All Heroes: Calling All Heroes is a collaboration between Blizzard Entertainment, the Overwatch League, and Raidiant to build a more inclusive and fair competitive ecosystem in Overwatch 2.
  • The initiative consists of two main programs: the Calling All Heroes Challengers Series, a competitive circuit open to marginalized genders, and the Calling All Heroes Rising Series, a new division exclusively for players ranked Diamond and below. This division aims to support newer competitors in their development and growth.
  • Raidiant has been instrumental in putting together and supporting the series. They’ve managed everything from running the tournaments to organizing fun community events.
  • Across major events like the Challengers and Rising Series, viewership averaged over 24,000 peak and 21,000 average viewers.
• Fortnite Milk Cup: In 2024, Raidiant launched the all-female Fortnite tournament series in collaboration with Gonna Need Milk, WOTE (Women of the eRena), and content creator ThePeachCobbler.
  • The series featured a $250,000 prize pool and attracted thousands of players over several qualifiers, culminating in a LAN championship held at the Los Angeles Convention Center during LA Comic Con.
  • The event achieved a peak viewership of 57,607 viewers and an average of 41,021 concurrent viewers (source: Esports Charts). Co-streaming, a popular trend nowadays, significantly boosted viewership, as creators like AussieAntics brought in substantial audiences. Official coverage accounted for only 44% of the total 58.5K hours watched.
  • The Milk Cup Winter Split, a smaller competition with a $50,000 prize pool, was held in late 2024 in addition to the main Fortnite Milk Cup. The event significantly contributed to the growth of women’s esports in Fortnite and continued to showcase up-and-coming female talent.

Shaping The Future of Esports

These efforts aren’t just feel-good side projects; they’re real, structural contributions to a fairer esports ecosystem:

• Giving the spotlight to underrepresented talent on major stages:
  • Whether as competitors, streamers, or content creators, women and other marginalized genders have historically felt underrepresented in Esports. Raidiant addresses that by allowing underrepresented talent to shine on major stages.
  • The success of these events has influenced the larger esports scene, as now other organizations are noticing and committing to creating similar opportunities.
• Breaking new viewership records:
  • Raidiant’s events have significantly broken previous viewership records for women’s esports, showing a noticeable increase in interest and support for women’s competitions.

• Encouraging brands to fund and support inclusive events:
  • Raidiant has made a remarkable impact by bringing in major sponsors and brands to support women-focused esports events. Collaborating with industry giants like Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, and Twitch, they’ve successfully attracted corporate investment in women’s esports.
    • This support is essential for ensuring that women’s tournaments are seen as more than side events: they’re becoming well-established competitions with sizable prize pools and an elite and fierce competition.
  • The success of events like the Ally Women’s Open, Star Chasers Showdown, and The Milk Cup demonstrates that this investment boosts viewership and has a positive cultural impact.

Conclusion

Raidiant isn’t just organizing tournaments: they’re changing the landscape. Recent data show that women’s esports viewership has increased significantly, and Raidiant’s events have been a major factor in this growth:

• VCT Game Changers Championship 2024: Series 1, 2, and 3 had an average of 12,228 peak viewers and paved the way for the Championship event. This tournament broke all previous records, achieving a peak viewership of over 460,000 and an average of nearly 123,000.
• The Milk Cup Finals attracted 57,607 peak and 41,021 average viewers, marking an important milestone in women’s esports as the first all-female Fortnite LAN.

These figures showcase the increasing popularity and demand for women’s esports events (all stats are taken from Esports Charts).

Raidiant’s efforts are shifting perceptions, attracting big sponsors, and introducing thousands of new players and fans to the scene. Their hard work, partnerships, and a strong commitment to equity make a real difference in competitive gaming and encourage everyone to get involved.

In an industry long dominated by the same voices, Raidiant is paving the way for a more inclusive atmosphere. They are making esports not just thrilling and competitive, but also friendly and welcoming, reflecting our beautiful diversity in the real world. As they continue to grow, so does the belief that esports can truly be for everyone.