Valorant first came into the public eye in a big way. The only way to get into the beta was to watch the game be played on Twitch, and there were plenty of big name streamers people could watch to do so. Beyond its strong start from a marketing standpoint though, the game also had a great roster of interesting and diverse characters, called agents, supporting it too.
These agents didn't only look good, as they each had unique abilities that could influence the game's competition, similar to another popular title, Overwatch. The game was also challenging from a tactical perspective too, as its maps and gunplay were reminiscent of the popular tactical shooter, CS:GO. With Valorant appearing to be the best of two powerhouses, coupled with its powerful launch, it wasn't impossible to imagine that it might even overtake those who it took inspiration from.
Today Valorant doesn't look too different from when it launched. There's definitely been improvements over time, and a new agent was even added recently, but the game's core is still very much recognizable. Players participate in team matches that require good tactics and teamwork in order to obtain victory. Knowledge of maps, guns, and abilities are still a big part of the game too. Despite the game not becoming worse in any real way though, it seems to have lost a lot of the steam that it built up in its early days.
Are People Still Playing Valorant
The best evidence for how Valorant has fallen can actually be found where everything started, on Twitch. Whereas Valorant originally appeared ready to compete, and even possibly replace, CS:GO, it has considerably lower viewership numbers on the platform. The game still has a respectable following though, especially since popular streamers like Ninja play it, but it's certainly not the challenge to the status quo it appeared to be.
Not all hope is lost for Valorant, as, on top of its still sizable following, the game also has plenty of ways to draw more attention in the future. One of these being Valorant's battle pass, which is set in a somewhat seasonal format with Episodes and Acts that makes it easy to gain attention as more content is cycled in. If Riot Games can take advantage of this and really hype up a new Act or Episode, then this current lack of attention on the game could just be a lull until it returns to its former glory. This doesn't appear to be outside the realm of possibility either, as Riot has clearly not given up on the game. A perfect example being the recent changes to Valorant's map selection algorithm.
Valorant may not have the kind of attention it used to, but it's certainly not a dead game. It wasn't the replacement to titles like CS:GO and Overwatch that some might have hoped for, but that shouldn't be the baseline for the game's success. In fact, the developers working on Valorant appear to be working hard on the game's flaws, which means it could easily return to the limelight at any time. Because of this, it'll be interesting to continue watching the game develop. Who knows, people could be talking about Valorant a few months from now instead of Fall Guys.