Valorant In Testing On Console, But It's Too Early To Celebrate
Valorant, the free 5v5 first-person shooting game from Riot Games, is in testing on consoles, the company has revealed. The game is only available to download on PC at this time, but the company had previously indicated that it may eventually make its way to console. The latest revelation underscores that, but don't get too excited — Riot says a console release isn't guaranteed.
Interest in Valorant is growing quickly; some have speculated that it may become the new Overwatch, but there's one big issue: it is only available on PC at this time. That makes the game available to a relatively small number of gamers, putting a cap on its potential popularity. A console release would expand the number of players, but such a release isn't a guarantee.
Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon of Riot Games recently spoke with GameSpot about the game, stating that the company is prototyping Valorant on console "right now." However, it may not be possible to bring the game to console without losing something special.
"There's a way to play this game," Donlon explained, "and there's a way to experience this game that we're not entirely sure translated completely to console play."
Key to a potential console release would be ensuring a consistent gameplay experience among all users regardless of their platform, something that would preserve the "competitive integrity" of the game. Donlon stresses that Riot will "absolutely" bring Valorant to other platforms if it can offer the right experience and gameplay outside of PC.
Even if Riot does proceed with a console version of the game, Donlon says that players shouldn't expect it anytime soon. PC gaming is the core focus for the team at this time and consoles are taking a backseat as a result.
Unfair advantages between platforms is a common complaint among players of many games, the most notable at this moment being Fortnite. Console players are notoriously at a disadvantage when playing against PC players; editing is slower and aiming is harder, among other things. On the other hand, some players have complained about PC players using controllers to take advantage of aim assist, introducing its own issues.