South.gg Outtakes: What Happened to #BringBrentoBerlin?

****DISCLAIMER: SOUTH.GG OUTTAKES IS A SERIES WHERE EMPLOYEES WITHIN SOUTH.GG STATE THEIR OPINIONS ON ESPORTS-RELATED MATTERS. THESE OPINIONS ARE SEPARATE FROM THE COMPANY AND THEREFORE SHALL NOT REPRESENT THE COMPANY’S VIEWS AS A WHOLE.****

You’ve probably heard all about it now, but in case you haven’t, Bren Esports’ Valorant roster will not be coming to Berlin despite their VCT SEA Challengers win. The main reason that barred the Filipino Valorant team from acquiring travel visas to Germany was due to changing COVID-19 developments. 

The Philippines has experienced another spike in COVID-19 cases especially with the onset of the delta variant, despite careful and secure measures to control the outbreak. This is probably one reason why Bren Esports’ players have been denied, or in other accounts of the story, “delayed” their visas by the German embassy.

However, whether it be delayed or denied, the point that stands is that the Philippines’ sole representative for an international and cross-region tournament could not represent the country due to coronavirus-related reasons. As a fan, it feels frustrating that our only shot at being recognized as a Valorant powerhouse by the international scene was shut down before they even had the chance to show off at the Berlin Masters stage. It feels frustrating that the reason why they did not qualify was because of the lack of proper measures to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, making us one of the countries on the list of places that are unsafe for travel.

So, what actually happened to Bren Esports’ Berlin dream? To put it simply, it was an effect of overlooked procedures. Riot Games made sure to help the teams secure their travel visas to Germany according to their official statement, but perhaps some circumstances were overlooked, such as the Philippines’ spike in COVID-19 cases with the onset of the delta variant. Another thing that could have been overlooked was the ever-changing protocols of several countries with the rise of the new wave of the coronavirus.

As a result of the Filipino organization’s failure to secure their travel visas, the Berlin Masters’ Group D, where Bren Esports was originally placed, will be facing off each other in a double round-robin format, while the rest of the groups will compete in the original bracket format. Bren Esports will also be awarded 175 Valorant circuit points as sort of a consolation prize.

Now that Bren Esports’ Valorant roster has been released, and there are rumors of them being acquired by an international organization, there’s nothing we can do as fans but let out a huge sigh of regret. “Maabot na sana, kaso nabitawan pa,” is the collective hugot of all Filipino Valorant fans. All I could hope for is that the next time there is an opportunity for another Filipino esports team to represent the country in the international scene, there would be better support from the proper institutions to help make things possible. We only get to be in the spotlight once in a while, so let’s take all the chances we can to not be out of the limelight.