VALORANT Premier has brought gamers together with the hopes of encouraging top-tier competitive play, but its structure has left some players struggling to compete.
Players are now demanding Riot Games adjust schedules to accommodate all the gamers with full-time jobs. That particular demographic dreams of competing alongside the rest of the player base, but early start times for the tourney-like game mode have made it difficult to get enough reps in, employed VALORANT fans say.
The nine-to-five community scheduled a meeting to discuss ways to improve the Premier feature on Reddit on May 10. The goal was to find the perfect time to get their competitive matches in– without dramatically impacting any other players.
The Premier bracket has a four-hour period, with the specific start time depending on the player’s location. They’ll then roughly have any time between 6-10 pm local time to complete their VALORANT Premier matches.
The 6pm scheduled match time seems too early for the full-time VALORANT community, with players who trek back from their workplace failing to make it in time. This leaves fans missing out on matches that the early bird gamers get to experience.
Players suggested Riot dedicate three days a week to finishing two Premier games, with the available window providing ample time for both matches. The downside to that suggestion is that it would likely increase queue times, according to some VALORANT gamers–but it seems they’re not too bothered by the idea anyway.
Fortunately, VALORANT Premier is still in its beta form.
This means if there’s enough hubbub surrounding the start time issue, Riot will likely be able to address it before its release. Players pointed to other esport titles like Rocket League as options that Riot could copy formats from.
There’s still time for Riot to tinker with Premier. Odds are we’ll see significant changes to the structure in time, we’ll just have to try and make as many matches as possible until they release the full tournament system.
Otherwise, maybe ask your boss for an early mark for VALORANT games.
