Team Liquid Brazil claimed the 2025 VCT Game Changers title in an almost miraculous way. The official Valorant Esports account proclaimed the victory through a brief but impactful message: “REDEMPTION. @TeamLiquidBR ARE YOUR 2025 #VCTGameChangers CHAMPIONS!” The tweet also included a photo of what appears to be the winning team in a celebratory mood, but the win that surrounded them has not been easy at all.
The Game Changers circuit, backed by Riot Games, was aimed at providing more opportunities to women and also trying to include others who are usually marginalized in the competitive Valorant scene. The circuit is designed to be a platform for both competition and empowerment. The final stage of this year has, however, thrown a blazing ship fire of discussions that have been splitting the online community into “pro” and “anti” camps with players and fans right on the line.
What has caused such a stir? When you start looking at the replies to the announcement tweet, you will quickly realize that the community is split into two opposing camps. A large portion of the comments refer back to the debate of the inclusion of transgender players. One commenter was blunt, stating, “Looks like a guy is on the team,” while another came up with an even more provocative, “There is a whole man in this image bro.” Such thoughts mirror the times impassioned debates between supporters and opponents of inclusivity in gender-segregated tournaments in esports.
This is where it all becomes messy— and where the community reveals its true nature. For every critical comment, there are several replies using what has become the battle sword of Team Liquid Brazil fans support: “CRY IS FREE!!!!” as one user phrased it. This phrase continues to appear in the reply section as a mantra telling critics basically to endure as the victory has been given.
The Brazilian fans in particular have been very active and totally euphoric, partying, and celebrating this win. A supporter of the team, who has been very vocal has said, “The world can say whatever they want, provoke, CRY, but BRAZIL IS ON TOP ONE MORE TIME, NO MATTER WHAT!!!” The feeling of national pride is very strong and visible because it is Brazilian flags and dances that are flooding the comments section. It is very obvious that for a large number of people this is not just about Game Changers; it is about having their country represented on the global stage.
At the same time, the debate around the participation of transgender players only gets hotter. One user was particularly tough and said, “Men taking away women’s spots and women cheering for it is insane” while another replied “physical sports and esports are different.” This fundamental disagreement about fairness and inclusivity has players going back and forth just because some are advocating that transgender players should have a separate division while others are asserting that Game Changers was intended to be inclusive right from the start.
What is really captivating is how the issue has become so very personal. There are instances when the comments refer to the specific players, one user referring to “Florcheat” while another mentioning “Jelly from liquid” being transgender. The community is not just discussing hypothetical concepts; they are talking about real people competing at the highest level, the toxicity is not all one-sided and supporters of Team Liquid Brazil are also telling critics “Cala boca, imundo” which literally means “Shut up, filthy.”
The entirety of the situation raises bigger questions about what Game Changers is really like. Is it about giving opportunities only to biological women? Or is it about letting all marginalized genders compete and have their voices heard? Riot Games has been very open about their inclusiveness stance but it has not prevented the topic from being at the center of the discussion around this championship.
What often gets overlooked amidst these heated arguments are the actual games and the accomplishment. Team Liquid Brazil’s victory in this championship was purely based on skill and willpower but a major part of the discourse was about identity instead of performance. The official Strafe Esports account did give some credit to the competition itself, tweeting “YOOOOOOO WE DID ITTTT 💛 that final was insane, girls absolutely smashing it 🔥” but such comments seem to be drowned in the controversy.
The expression “Trans Meta” even appeared in the replies, where one user ironically wrote “Trans Meta unreal in GC congrats”—hinting at the fact that some people characterize the trans competitors as inherently having an upper hand. This concept of “meta” is no longer restricted to agent picks and tactics, it has now become part of the team makeup itself and that is… quite incredible when you consider it.
Different esports tournaments, Game Changers among them, are always pushing us to face up to the difficult but absolutely necessary issues such as inclusiveness, justice, and the interpretation of competitive integrity along with the entire esports world going through a transition. The PlayStation and Xbox platforms continue to host these important competitive events.
