Since its release, Riot’s tactical shooter VALORANT has seen tremendous amounts of success both in terms of the player base and as an esport. The Ignition Series of VALORANT has received an overwhelmingly positive response from players and tournament organizers across the world and the game itself has almost cemented its position towards the top of the Twitch charts in terms of viewership.
In a recent interview with inquirer, Valorant Project Manager Anna Donlon and Design Director Joe Ziegler have opened up about the inspiration behind the competitive shooter and what sets it apart from other games in the genre like CSGO or Overwatch.
When asked about the inspiration behind VALORANT, Ziegler said that the team behind VALORANT was primarily influenced by older tactical shooters like CS 1.6 and R6 Rogue Spear, “where tense tactical scenarios and pixel-precise gunplay blended to create this rich sense of high stakes gameplay.” This was combined with the creative ability usage from MOBAs like League of Legends or World of Warcraft to create a “fun” and “exciting” shooter like VALORANT.
Trevor Romleski, Game Design Lead of VALORANT, commented on the comparisons of the game with CSGO and Overwatch. “When setting out to build a tactical shooter, we wanted to address some of the common issues that plague the genre,” Romleski said. “Poor hit registration, peekers advantage, lack of updates and support, etc.” The addition of abilities to the game also sets it apart from other conventional first-person shooters, according to Romleski. “Abilities increase variability in gameplay, with new creative scenarios to navigate and problem solve in real time.”
With the Act II of VALORANT releasing just a few weeks ago, the player counts of the game are still increasing steadily. If the devs continue to adhere to their initial promises while maintaining a flow of new content to the game, it can potentially be one of the best first-person shooters the world has ever seen.
