Riot Games has invited the Thai esports organization FULL SENSE to perform at VCT Pacific until the end of the 2026 season.
The publisher’s decision came after TALON Esports was stripped of its partner status in the International League due to problems with team management. Instead, the Thai organization got a chance to represent the region.
An interesting detail: FULL SENSE managed to retain the full roster of TALON players, and the ex-IGL Crws left for a coaching position. His playing place was taken by Leviathan, who has been playing for FS Esports for more than two years. This is what the full roaster looks like now:
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Taniaton ‘Leviathan’ Feed it up
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Jittana ‘Jitboys’ Knocknam
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Papafate ‘Primmie’ Shriprafa
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Anupong ‘thyy’ Preambak
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Tanate ‘killua’ Tira Sawad
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The ‘Crws’ tag Mahattananut (coach)
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Tanafat ‘Theluvfamily’ Limpaphan (Assistant coach)
“We are proud to announce that Full Sense is officially entering VCT Pacific 2026, representing Thailand. Let’s “Fly higher” together — inspired by the Thai spirit,” the organization wrote via the social network X.
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How did Full Sense get a slot instead of TALON
In the process of replacing Riot Games, we looked at several things: operational readiness, how much the team’s goals coincide with the publisher’s plans, and willingness to collaborate. Moreover, an important criterion was the resonance among fans and a real presence in Southeast Asia.
“When evaluating potential partners, we were looking for a team that is truly connected to the Thai community and represents it with dignity,” said Jake Sin, head of APAC VALORANT Esports, in an interview. “Full Sense has been working with Thai fans for years and steadily making its way to Ascension Pacific — this shows their motivation and desire to move forward, which they demonstrate at the regional level.”
FULL SENSE entered the VALORANT esports ecosystem back in 2020, while the organization gained real fame a year later. The team qualified for the VALORANT Champions through VCT Thailand Challengers and APAC Last Chance Qualifier.
In 2024, the roster took the third place in the VCT Ascension Pacific, almost making it to the Pacific League. Even if FULL SENSE took off ahead of time in 2025, now they have received a direct ticket to the International League — without additional qualifications.
Two fresh organizations in VCT Pacific 2026
Without taking Full Sense into account, the SLT Seongnam team rose to VCT Pacific — they won Ascension Pacific 2025 without a single defeat and earned promotion to the partner league.
On the other hand, Nongshim RedForce fought for the right to stay in the VALORANT Challengers League. Unlike BOOM Esports, they managed to defend their place in the International League by finishing second at Ascension.
The VCT Pacific formats will remain unchanged — 12 teams will continue to compete in the same way. Riot Games relied on the operational readiness of the new participants and their ability to strengthen the representation of Southeast Asia in the tournament. Now Thai fans will be able to cheer for their native organization at the highest level of the Valorant Champions Tour.
TALONs Financial Collapse: Lessons for Esports Organizations
The story of TALON Esports’ financial collapse began long before its official exclusion from VCT Pacific. In the summer of 2025, the organization was at the center of a public scandal when investor Beini Zhang accused the team’s management of delaying interest payments on a million-dollar loan.
According to the documents, the organization took out a short-term loan at the end of June to cover player salaries and operating expenses, while the promised investments were delayed. The initial rate was a modest 5% per annum for three weeks, while the repayment period was repeatedly postponed.
When TALON failed to repay the money on time, the interest rate soared to 20% per annum, and then to an insane 2.5% per week (that’s 130% per year). The main debt was repaid by the end of August, while the organization still owed about 75 thousand dollars in interest, which provoked a public trial on social networks.
Riot Games worked with the team for more than a month, presenting the best possible postponements and chances to improve. In detail: the publisher pointed out the systematic delays in payments to players and the inability of the organization to demonstrate sufficient financial stability. In the end, on November 18, the final decision came to terminate the partnership.
What went wrong
TALON Esports has fallen into the trap typical of most esports organizations in 2025. The team announced the appropriation of two million dollars from investors, entered into partnerships with Qatar Airways and the Flipster crypto platform, while the financial bank looked different.
A former streamer of the organization publicly reacted to the news about several months of unpaid wages. TALON itself acknowledged delays in prize payments and problems with current financing due to the prolonged round of investments. This is a classic example when an organization expands faster than it can afford, hoping for the promised money.
The lessons for the esports business are obvious: partner status in VCT or LCP requires not just competitive results, but reinforced financial discipline. Riot is no longer ready to turn a blind eye to problems with payments — BLEED Esports crashed for the same reasons a year earlier, and now the same fate has befallen TALON.
For other organizations, the lesson is simple: expansion without a stable cashflow is a one-way ticket. You can announce new partnerships and investment rounds as much as you want, but if players’ salaries are being paid with a delay, it’s only a matter of time before they are expelled from the league.
