VALORANT’s Operator sniper rifle sounds mysteriously similar to CS:GO’s AWP

It seems “drop OP” has a new meaning in Riot Games’ upcoming first-person shooter after the name of the deadliest sniper rifle in VALORANT was revealed yesterday.

Alongside the reveal of VALORANT, Riot released gameplay for fans to decipher. At the beginning of the video, fans saw the buy menu that’s used to purchase weapons and abilities in VALORANT. But it looks like the snipers were influenced by CS:GO’s deadly marksman rifles. 

The two sniper rifles in VALORANT—Marshal and Operator—are likely different in terms of damage output, similar to CS:GO. Fans compared the Marshal to the Scout in CS:GO since it’s much cheaper than the AWP and deals less damage than the bolt-action rifle. The AWP is much more expensive, similar to the Operator. It looks like CS:GO AWPers will feel at home with the sniper rifles in VALORANT. 

The Operator looks menacing with a long scope and high damage. CS:GO fans will become immediately familiar with the sniper because it sounds identical to the old AWP before it was changed in 2016.

Players will be able to get their hands on VALORANT upon its release later this year in the summer. But this may take a little longer since the promotional event for the beta has been canceled due to increased health concerns surrounding the coronavirus, according to veteran esports journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau. It’s also been confirmed that the beta won’t come out this week. 

Although it’s obvious that VALORANT is heavily influenced by CS:GO, the name of Riot’s sniper could be an intentional nod to the fans who might switch from one FPS to another.