V
alorant occupies a
unique space in Riot
Games’ catalogue: it’s
their only title that
doesn’t follow directly
in League of Legends’ footsteps. Set
in its own sci-fi world rather than
the land of Runeterra, it seems
under even greater pressure to
carve out its own identity.
“LoL is like our big sister at Riot,”
says creative director David
Nottingham. “So obviously when we
dream for the future we look at the
trajectory and success of League as
we think about where we want the
game to be 2,5, 10 years from now.
That doesn’t mean we expect to
follow the same cadence, but we take
inspiration and learnings as we map
out and pursue our own path.”
Even at this early stage – the game
only launched last year – it does seem
to be working. Valorant occupies an
intriguing space between Overwatch
and Counter-Strike, but with a
confidence that marks it out as far
more than just an imitator.
The game’s agents play a big part
in its identity. Their hero shooter
DNA already makes them far more
disruptive than anything the tactical
shooter has ever offered, but roster
expansions have stretched what feels
possible even further; Skye’s
beastmaster-style skillset or Killjoy’s
crippling Lockdown ultimate might
once have been unthinkable. As
heroes, agents and operators bleed
ever further into modern shooters,
Valorant’s diversity might be helping
change the face of the FPS forever.THE STORY SO FAR
That diversity isn’t limited to
gameplay – it surfaces regularly
within Valorant’s lore too. Occupying
a very different universe to League ofLegends, it’s able to draw from Riot’s
decade of narrative experience to
create something that feels well-
established from the outset. Every
member of its roster oozes
personality. Its world, however
fractured, feels like part of a cohesive
whole. Even the maps themselves
offer ever-increasing opportunities to
learn about Riot’s second universe.
But wouldn’t it have been easier to
just stick to the setting Riot had
already established?
“It was important to us that the
world, characters and central conflict
of Valorant served the game first and
foremost. So we didn’t start with an
expectation that it should exist in the
same universe as League,” says
Nottingham. “We don’t see that as a
limitation. In fact we feel it empowers
us to always focus on the best way to
grow Valorant. At the same time,
being Riot, and coexisting alongside
an IP as expansive as League, which
is 10 years into a journey that
Valorant is just beginning, gives us
plenty of inspiration.”
Who knows - perhaps in a
decade’s time we’ll be celebrating the
release of the Valorant TV show.VALORANT is out to
forge its own path.
By Alistair JonesNEW KIDS ON
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