Valorant leak reveals new “Snowball” game mode coming for Winter event

Riot Games are reportedly planning a new mode for Valorant called ‘Snowball,’ according to new leaks that could suggest the developers are planning content geared toward a Winter event.

Now that the Act 3 patch update has hit the live servers, the content dump also gave dataminers troves of files to sift through for any clues on unannounced features or assets.

Of course, with the launch of Act 3 came the new map called Icebox, which followed in the same snowy aesthetic that could align with a Winter event.

In the Valorant files, dataminer ‘ValorantLeaks’ found strands of code that contained a couple of recurring keywords that directly pointed to a new mode possibly in the works along with a few details of game mechanics it could feature.

The words “Tag=Modes.Snowball” were found in four different instances. This is the best indication that a mode of the same name could soon arrive later down the line in Act 3.

Additionally, different lines reference words like ‘Bouncy,’ ‘Growball,’ ‘RapidFire,’ and ‘Skate,’ which could hint to features or even different Orbs that could be in the mode.

It’s possible that these are in reference to new modifiers along the lines of those found in Spike Rush or other effects that would be organic to the ‘Snowball’ mode.

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Spike Rush is the only game type that makes use of round-modifiers in the form of special powerup orbs placed throughout the map. The only other mode for Valorant so far has been a traditional Deathmatch mode, that could be seeing upgrades in early 2021 that would let players join a match that’s already underway.

If Riot does go ahead with plans on a new mode, then it’s unclear if it would be available alongside Spike Rush or the devs would opt down the road of a rotating playlist.

• Read more: Why Valorant fast-tracked the ‘Icebox’ map release

The Valorant team previously said they prefer to bring more modes as soon as they could to players, though these would “evolve” along with the players. “We want to bias toward putting new modes in the community’s hands as fast as possible and evolving those modes along with the players,” Riot said in a blog.

As the holiday season nears, eager players will await official word from the devs for seasonal content in Valorant that could be on its way.