Riot tease possible Valorant console release or whole new FPS game

Michael Gwilliam

Riot Games have provided some huge news regarding the possibility of its new tactical FPS Valorant hitting Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch in the near future.

While Riot have been clear from the start that their focus is on getting the PC version up and running they’ve never dismissed the possibility of Valorant coming to consoles. Now, it seems like the chances of it happening are higher than ever.

In an interview with GameSpot, Valorant’s Executive Producer, Anna Donlon, shared some news that should get console players excited for the future, but they shouldn’t hold their breath.

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“That’s one of the more controversial topics out there that I’ve seen,” Donlon replied when asked about plans for a console port. “I completely understand why. It’s controversial internally to our dev team as well. We’re prototyping that right now.”

For a tactical FPS that requires pin-point precision, controller players may find themselves having a difficult time in the thick of things, which is likely what the controversy is about.

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“There’s a way to play this game and there’s a way to experience this game that we’re not entirely sure translates completely to console play,” she added. “And we really believe that the way this game is meant to be played is this hyper strong-level of play with competitive integrity.”

According to the producer, Riot is worried about players feeling like someone they’re playing against has an advantage because of the system they’re playing on. That said, she does believe the team is up to the challenge despite being cautious.

“I do think there’s something to ‘crack’ there that our team is really excited to crack. And so what we’ve said is ‘if we feel like we can deliver this experience on those platforms we will. We absolutely will.”

Riot is concerned that Valorant may not “translate” properly to console.

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However, she further warned that if the team feels like they need to compromise the experience so much that it “doesn’t feel like the same game anymore” then they will “go make that game and put it on consoles.”

“We’ll have that be something else that we do,” she added. “But we really want Valorant to stand for a certain type of gameplay and a certain time of experience and we want that experience to be felt across any platform that it’s played on. It’s not a ‘no’ and we have designers who are excited to prove that this is possible for us.”

It would seem like Riot is adamant about getting an FPS game on consoles in some capacity and they’re willing to make major changes – even crafting a new game – if they can’t get the precise gunplay of Valorant to work right.

Needless to say, this is big news, as console players aren’t being forgotten by Riot and should keep their eyes open for more information to come.

About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam