Ninjas in Pyjamas is entering Valorant, the new first-person shooter title from Riot Games. For its initial roster, the Stockholm-based organization has re-signed its World Champion players for Paladins, after the team disbanded in November.
Developed by Hi-Rez Studios, Paladins is a class-based shooter like Valorant, only the latter features elements seen in most tactical shooters such as realistic gun mechanics and a greater focus on squad-based strategies.
Ninjas in Pyjamas, which built its brand two decades ago in Counter-Strike (another tactical shooter game) is among the first esports organizations to sign a Valorant roster. The game is due to be released sometime in Q2-Q3 2020, and started its closed beta period on April 7. The game has already crossed a peak viewership of 1.7M on Twitch, the previous record held by Fortnite during its blackhole event last year.
While signing a team to an unreleased game is unusual in esports, quick movement into new, hyped titles is not unheard of. When Apex Legends, a class-based battle royale shooter from Electronic Arts launched in 2019, major esports organizations were quick to sign players, despite official tournaments not being announced till months later.
