Happy Birthday to the free-to-play sci-fi shooter
There are a lot of excellent multiplayer shooters on the market right now, each with a distinct identity. From the twitchy tactics of Ubisoft’sRainbow Six Siege,the bombast of battle royale titleCall of Duty: Warzone, or the hi-tech free-for-all that is EA’sApex Legends. Despite this crowded market place it seems there’s room for everyone, and Riot Games’Valorantis no exception.
Today marks exactly one year since the free-to-play title first opened fire on PC, blending the colorful characters and class systems of Blizzard’sOverwatchwith the forward-thinking tactical edge of Valve’sCS:GO. It’s a welcome marriage of charisma and calculation, which has seenValorantcarve itself out a portion of the multiplayer pie.
Today, Riot Games announced thatValoranthas hit a milestone of 14 million active PC players, a very healthy playerbase that helped facilitate the founding of the shooter’s competitive scene — known as the “Valorant Champions Tour”. Riot is also preparing to bringValorantto mobile, which will be the stylistic shooter’s first port and will likely see even more players brought into the fold. There is no launch date at this time, but one would assumeValorant Mobilewill launch in the coming year.
“One of our top goals this first year was to earn the trust and respect of the global FPS community, and to prove to them thatValorantwill always uphold the fundamentals of a truly worthwhile competitive tac-shooter,” said executive producer Anna Donlon. “To see our growing player community recognize and appreciate what we’re trying to do withValorantis beyond what we could’ve expected and we’re thrilled to soon offer the same competitiveValorantexperience to even more global players.”
To celebrate the anniversary, Riot Games plans to reward its players and fans for their loyalty, offering the community in-game goodies, digital swag, redeemable player and even event passes throughout the month of June. Heading into 2022, there will no doubt be further events, both live and in-game, as Riot works to build uponValorant‘s successful Freshman year and build hype for the incoming mobile release.
