VALORANT
Developer/publisher Riot Games
Format PC
Summer US
Release Origin
Some might say Valorant’s ace in the hole is its concept – think Counter-Strike: Global Offensive plus superpowered heroes à la Overwatch, and you’re not far off. Others may say that it’s the development team, which includes a former League Of Legends designer, a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro player and map designer, and an art director who previously worked on Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2. Cynics will point to Riot’s marketing experts, who broke Twitch’s ecosystem by releasing beta keys only via rare ‘drops’ for stream viewers, encouraging streamers to run 24/7 footage to capitalise on the footfall, and building anticipation to fever pitch. But if you ask us? Valorant’s ace in the hole is, well, its ace.
