While the players are impatiently waiting for Valorant, the developers are playing so much that their bosses have to order forced breaks to avoid jeopardizing the release.
What’s going on at Riot? Riot Games is primarily known for the hit League of Legends, but has also been working on a handful of other games for a while now. One of them is the team shooter Valorant, but according to the developers, the game is so well received internally that the employees prefer to play it rather than continue developing it.
The internal play-testing sessions got a bit out of hand. The management found it necessary to limit playtime, as they stated that the work pace suffered under the intense testing. Design Director Joe Ziegler recalls: “I remember how we had to set a rule to reduce testing.” (via YouTube)
How exactly the rule, or the reduced playtime, looked in practice, we do not know. But we do know the goal: The studio wants to ensure that Valorant is available to everyone as soon as possible – and not just to Riot’s development team.
The mean Senior Producer had to tell everyone that they were no longer allowed to play.
Anna Donlon via YouTube
Video shows what development looks like: The statements come from a developer diary in video form. In it, Anna Donlon (Product Manager) and Joe Ziegler (Design Director) guide the viewer through Riot’s sacred halls in sunny Los Angeles.
They are very relaxed, humorous, and just human. They also share their fear of doing something wrong or present the “Build Board”. If this display is green, everything in the game is stable and works as intended. They joke that the display has fortunately been green very often lately, which actually represents “a rarity”.
If you want to check out the German version of the developer diary, here is your opportunity:
Agents Bring Fresh Wind to the Tactical Shooter Genre
In Valorant, you take control of an agent who brings an individual spice to the tactical battles. According to the diary, the development team is particularly fond of “Phoenix”. According to Joe Ziegler, this is mainly due to his cool jacket. Because “Joe is obsessed with flame jackets.”
Of course, the statements should also be taken with a pinch of skepticism, as the developer is reporting on his own game and skillfully wraps a self-compliment.
But Riot’s plan seems to be working, as the official presentation on Twitch has become a hit. Our MeinMMO editor Leya Jankowski also played the new shooter extensively. To find out how it went for her with Valorant, read here.
If you want to find out for yourself why the developers couldn’t put Valorant down, we have good news. Because tomorrow, on April 7, the first beta starts. Riot’s multiplayer shooter is expected to be free this summer.
