Riot announced the date for VALORANT’s official launch today, which should include a new game mode, character, and map. But with growing disruptive behavior in the closed beta, the dev team had a “wakeup call.”
Today’s VALORANT blog post discussed Riot’s commitment to addressing toxicity, which includes specific repercussions for those who violate the community code.
“Almost everyone playing VALORANT wants to compete without fear of harassment or disruption, and it’s on us to provide you the tools and community to guarantee that kind of experience,” Riot said.
By launch, players can expect a community code that will detail clear expectations that must be followed by everyone. And an “improved automation” for chat and report analysis will make sure to keep toxic players in check. The automated system will catch “blatant violations” and escalate punishments for common offenders.
Violators will face 72-hour team chat or voice restrictions for behavior violations. While this is definitely a necessary precaution, it’s unclear what the dev team will do about players who grief or intentionally die.
Since the game is in its infancy, there will be plenty of bumps in the road. But Riot is asking players to voice their opinions through support tickets, in-game reporting, and social media to “keep [them] honest.”
VALORANT will officially launch out of closed beta on June 2.
