Riot Games has released an official statement addressing competitive integrity concerns that arose during the VCT Pacific: 2026 Kickoff tournament. The company emphasized that competitive integrity remains “one of the most important pillars” of the league, while acknowledging that there is still room for improvement. Riot also thanked community members for raising these concerns and noted that after the event it conducted a deeper review of several internal processes and protocols.
A significant part of the investigation focused on the use of headsets during the Kickoff event. Riot stated that it reviewed gameplay recordings and webcam footage from all teams and confirmed two cases of improper equipment usage.
The first occurred during the match between Gen.G and DetonatioN FocusMe on January 23, and the second during the series between Team Secret and ZETA DIVISION on February 5.
After additional review of video footage and voice communications from those matches, Riot said it found no evidence that the headset violations were intentional or that any player gained a significant competitive advantage from hearing the commentators in the arena. It was also noted that both teams lost the maps on which the violations occurred.
According to section 2.3.7 of the VCT rulebook regarding audio restrictions and penalties for unauthorized equipment use, Riot issued written warnings to the players involved. They were also informed that repeated violations could lead to more severe disciplinary action.
To address the issue more proactively in the future, Riot has strengthened monitoring protocols for headset usage by expanding POV video checks and updating referee checklist procedures.
The statement also addressed concerns about arena sound levels and whether players could hear commentators during matches. Riot said that pre-event stage checks already include audio testing at maximum caster volume to ensure players cannot clearly hear commentary. In addition, during live matches a double sound-isolation system is used, with players wearing in-ear monitors together with headsets.
Recall that a collaboration between Wild Rift and Porsche was recently announced.