It’s nothing new to know how Valorant is taking over the eSports scene, not just on a regional basis but on a global scale.
As a result, the hyped Riot 5v5 tactical shooter has overshadowed some of the most iconic FPS games— such as CounterStrike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).
Mike ‘hastr0’ Rufail, owner of American esports franchise Team Envy, recently shared his thoughts on why he believes Valorant is “killing” CSGO at least in the North America eSports scene.
This can be especially observed after a number of former CS:GO pros have called it quits with the game and fled over to Riot’s shooter instead.
Growing eSports presence
Valorant is gradually taking over the eSports scene by the day, making it on par with the other eSports titles which have been around for long years.
One of the game’s appeal is how it puts importance on competitive integrity. Thanks to Valorant’s 128-tick servers and a sophisticated anti-cheat system, players can enjoy a level playing field as much as possible.
It didn’t take long for some Counter-Strike players to make the switch, though. They’ve bid goodbye to Valve’s first-person shooter to focus on Valorant.
With both games being mechanically similar in gunplay, the decision to make the transfer is understandably appealing.
Riot also managed to build an excellent reputation in the eSports scene, given how League of Legends pro tournaments have been nothing short of a success thus far.
CS:GO direct rival?
Before Valorant, no game in the FPS class has come close to challenging Counter-Strike esports dominance. The title is considered the tier-one shooter in eSports.
However, now that Valorant’s presence is only growing bigger, hastr0 said during the Ep 70 of The Eavesdrop Podcast that he believes Riot is about to shoot their shot at the perfect timing:
“If Riot does for Valorant what they do for League of Legends, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be huge… I’m in it because I think what they’ve done with League of Legends is fantastic for esports, so I’m just putting my faith in Riot to replicate that for Valorant.”
After Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez spoke about the amount of pro players transferring from CS:GO, hastr0 said in particular that it’s “killing NA CS” — especially with some of the biggest personalities like Jay ‘sinatraa’ Won and Spencer ‘Hiko’ Martin shifting their focus into Valorant.
As to why many big CS:GO names continue to ditch the game and hop over to Future Earth, H3CZ and hastr0 both believe Valve might be the biggest part of the problem.
Natural shift
With CS:GO’s over-saturated events and a clear lack of direct developer support, the pair said it’s only natural for players to scoot over to Valorant.
At present, Valorant’s Ignition Series is nearing its conclusion and the game’s total viewership continues to skyrocket at over 100k concurrent spectators. Undoubtedly, Valorant is truly one of the hottest games in the eSports scene right now.
It’s no wonder why many big names in the eSports scene are looking into Riot’s tactical shooter. As the saying goes, it’s better to strike while the iron is hot!
