VALORANT dev “open to exploring” more game modes post-launch

Following VALORANT’s gameplay reveal earlier this month, fans quickly noticed that Riot’s first-person shooter has taken a cue from competitive shooters like CS:GO in its choice for a debut game mode.

But VALORANT‘s game designer Trevor Rolemski told IGN Nordic in an interview that while the game will initially launch with the classic Search and Destroy format, the team is “completely open to exploring new modes post-launch.”

“For now we have this experience that we really want to craft and make sure that it is as good as it can be,” Rolemski said.

Considering that VALORANT is targeting a genre dominated by Valve’s evergreen and evergrowing tactical shooter, it makes sense that Riot would want VALORANT to put on its Sunday best in the summer of 2020.

David Nottingham, a creative director on VALORANT, said that the team “put gameplay first and crafted an IP around it.” He went on to explain that it was “almost an analytical approach,” making sure that the gameplay was as watertight as possible.

The director also mentioned that the game’s “distinctive” agents will have their own interesting backstories and a reason for each of them to join the fight. While they might not have their own comic book series like champions in League of Legends, storytelling will definitely be in-game.

Aside from the special agents’ abilities designed to shake up the usual formula, part of VALORANT‘s fresh take on the genre is its focus on unique map designs.

Salvatore “Volcano” Garozzo is one of the map overseers for VALORANT. Volcano was a former Counter-Strike pro across three different versions of the game, but he’s perhaps even more known for being the creator of several maps in the series, most notably Cache.

Related: VALORANT will have 4 maps on release, each with unique differences

From what we’ve seen of Bind and Haven, the two VALORANT maps that playtesters got to try, the game certainly has a quirky take on the typical three-lane system used by most maps. Bind, for example, has no mid lane and uses teleporters, while Haven places extra emphasis on the mid lane with an extra bombsite.

Riot is determined to make VALORANT a force in the tactical shooter genre and will try to do so by making its release as refined as possible. VALORANT releases summer 2020 with just Search and Destroy, but there’s likely going to be more game modes sooner rather than later.