The 2024 VCT journey for Sentinels has been a bag of mixed emotions. From Zellsis replacing the star Pancada to Tenz switching over to Omen, the org made some massive changes for this year. Sentinels is the biggest Valorant team in terms of an international fanbase, and their Twitch numbers did not lie. Let’s take a look at what the team’s been up to and the path ahead for them.
Roster Change
Sacy and Pancada were the two international imports that were supposed to play for Sentinels. The org decided to replace Pancada with former C9 professional Zellsis. The reason for this change still remains a mystery, and many rumors have popped up suggesting that Pancada has visa issues to sort out.Zellsis has impressed so far, and he’s always been on really good terms with the org for more than a year now. Zellsis, along with Shroud, had played a “Last Chance Qualifier” event with Sentinels. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it out of their table, and that stint was short-lived.
Sentinels going broke soon? Not Really!
For the whole of last year, Sentinels have been under the radar for being an unsustainable org. There were leaks that the org was spending upwards of $700k/month in salaries alone. They are certainly the biggest org in the world in terms of the number of fans, but does that cover their costs? Apart from signing who at the time were some of the best players in the world, they’ve always recruited the biggest Valorant and FPS streamers in the world. Both Aceu and Tarik are part of Sentinels, and they are considered the biggest brand ambassadors of the game.
The biggest achievement for Sentinels over the course of their Valorant tenure is the fact that they can attract upwards of 200k viewers for their matches compared to a mere 70-100k viewers of their rivals. Valorant streamer Tarik managed to go above 100k for games that were broadcasted yesterday. He even managed to overtake the official broadcast in overall numbers when Sentinels matches were being aired. Managing to pull such huge numbers means more scope for selling more merchandise.
With the introduction of VCT team capsules, Sentinels now have an option to make some serious revenue. Zelsis was even advertising the bundle during an in-game match, which many found hilarious. Fifty percent of the revenue collected from a team capsule goes to the org. This recent addition of esport skins in-game has allowed for orgs like Sentinels to tap into their international market and rake in millions via their capsule bundle. Sentinels, as an org, are trying to cover their ongoing losses with the sales of merchandise and digital items. As of now, things look bright for them, as this might be the most sold capsule among the long list of team capsules.
What’s Sentinels up to now?
Sentinels have made their way into the Madrid Masters playoffs and need to win two more fixtures to confirm their place in Madrid. Apart from the roster change, Tenz has now been fragging out, playing Omen on maps like Split. It is rare to see Tenz play Omen in professional matches, and it seems to be working out well for them. They lost a crucial match and made it to the playoffs by qualifying from the lower bracket.
Watch them play NRG this weekend. With the recent run of form, NRG is considered favorites to win this match. It’s going to be an uphill task for Sentinels, but the world’s most loved team might just be ready.
