I went to Valorant Champions and realized something about the game’s future

I, like many eSports nerds, dream about being able to watch my favorite players dominate the arena. I imagine being able to talk to other fans about the game, cheering together for my favorite players, and seeing the experts in action as they click heads off and rotate to C. So when Valorant Champions was announced to be in Paris this year, I knew I had to get there at any cost.

Though Valorant mobile isn’t out yet, I’ve been playing the game for years, and got into the competitive side of it during Masters Madrid in 2024, when my glorious king Tenz lifted his second and – though we didn’t know it yet – final trophy with what became my favorite team, Sentinels. Tenz retired at the ripe age of 23, but Sentinels are a likely squad to attend Champions Paris. Even without Tenz, I still support them with everything I have, including lots of sweat and tears.

Champs is a fantastic event, with an atmospheric buzz and super welcoming people. Not only is it a place to make new friends, but I can yap about Valorant to my heart’s content, all while watching some of the world’s greatest FPS game players do their thing from just two feet away. It only takes until day two to fry my vocal chords beyond repair for the week, so when I meet my two favorite Sentinels players later in the week, I croak my thanks to them.

Sentinels’ elimination hits the hardest as I watch them through tears. They stand in front of us, heartbroken, bowing their heads solemnly in defeat. I hear the pain in Zekken’s voice, our star player, as he thanks me for attending while taking a photo with me. I wince as I overhear my in-game leader Johnqt tell a fan he didn’t step up enough as representation for Arabs in eSports. Is my team losing its spark?

It’s an understandable devastation. Given all their work to make it here over the year, it must feel awful to crash out within the first two games. The part that I don’t expect is that we’re all feeling down. The passion isn’t always sustainable, and what I saw from players and fans alike makes me realize how fleeting eSports scenes can be. Everybody really cares and really loves being there, whether fan, player, commentator, or analyst – but after seven days at the arena, I’m burnt out and miserable, and I wasn’t the only one.

Valorant burnout, though I only experienced a mild form of it, comes for all of us, it seems. Streamer AverageJonas, known for his Sova shock dart and recon bolt lineups across maps, announced his departure from the scene after suggesting he was having more fun elsewhere. There are more cases of players leaving about the same time and after Jonas’s departure. Burning out is prevalent in this game, and I worry that the launch of Valorant mobile is going to accelerate the time at which people choose to leave this scene.

Before I get into how I think mobile will play into this, I just want to be super clear – I am in favor of Valorant mobile. Widely accessible gaming remains something close to my heart, and as the person who used to not be able to play the game because they didn’t own a nice enough computer, I have nothing but good things to say about opening up access to portable machines. For the majority of players, this will be a good thing, and I think the game could become one of the best mobile games. I’m looking forward to being able to take my Viper ult with me on the go. Don’t get in my way.

My main concern is that the game will need to be playable on mobile for a wider range of audiences, meaning that Valorant could see changes across the board that make sense for casual or new players of the game on mobile but don’t gel with existing PC players. This of course includes pro gamers, many of whom have already complained in the past when the game has made adjustments to make the game easier for lower elo players. Of course, being one of those low elo players that Riot is making the adjustments for means that I feel guilty for the lowering of the skill ceiling. It also simultaneously causes me to feel even more stupid for not knowing when a smoke is about to dissipate, and pleased that the game will tell me.

While I think a lot of the pros’ frustrations are a little dramatic, I understand the sentiment of feeling like the game you play is going down the toilet. Riot needs both professional Valorant players and the high elo ranked demons, or it won’t have a large source of its income. If the release of mobile rolls out globally and updates start to affect the pro play, it will have a serious problem on its hands.

That being said, I think it’s a good sign that mobile has only arrived in China at this point in time, as Riot seems to be taking it cautiously, and the extremely long wait for the game to appear on my phone probably means Riot is aware of the issue. I want to see VCT continue on in its golden era for years to come, and if Valorant mobile is a success, it could indeed draw in larger crowds.

Aside from implications on the competitive scene, Valorant mobile seems to have received positive feedback. Tenz tested out Valorant mobile and seemed to enjoy it, saying he would “be surprised if it wasn’t the most popular FPS game on mobile”. Adjustments to the game involve a minimap reposition, some level of aim assist, different warm-up modes in the Range, and more customization options. Certainly it looks like the mobile version of the game will provide users with a fresh experience – only time will tell whether it pops off or collapses the ecosystem entirely.

Want more shooter goodness? Head over to our Call of Duty Mobile update guide, as well as our Call of Duty Mobile download guide and our Destiny Rising codes. For more shootin’ n tootin’, check out our list of the best games like Fortnite, or our handy guide to the Overwatch 2 characters. And, if you’re looking for something to play while you wait for a global Valorant mobile rollout, head to our best Switch games and best free Switch games.