After just over two months of closed beta of Valorant, this phase ends on May 28. Its official release is very close since it's scheduled for June 2. The only shadow in the picture is that Riot Games confirmed a few days ago that the Competitive Mode will only be deployed in the weeks following its launch. A measure that the publisher has taken to ensure the stability of its servers in the first instance.
It also announced some changes regarding the name of the ultimate grade of this Competitive Mode. After your five rank games, you'll be assigned a division ranging from Iron to VALORANT. This will no longer be the case as the last rank in the game will undergo a small but important change.
In an interview for Polygon, Sean Szopinski, Senior Game Designer for Valorant, confirmed that the title of the rank would change due to confusion with the game's name without giving more details:
"When we were brainstorming these names, Valorant seemed like a really awesome choice for the top rank. What could be cooler than climbing the ranks, aspiring to become an elite and heroic Valorant, the personification of the game itself! You guys are right though, it’s a bit confusing. We get it. I get it. We’ll change it for launch."
He's also teased out a new feature for players who reach the top, to give them a new goal. We can imagine a system similar to what's already available in Overwatch with the Top 500 for example. It will probably be implemented at the same time as the definitive arrival of the Competitive Mode in a few weeks.
These announcements may reassure the few professional players who are disappointed by the ranking system proposed during the beta. Riot Games may be planning further modifications to the mode, which will hopefully be unveiled very soon.
The official release of Valorant is scheduled for June 2. To prepare this worldwide launch, Riot Games has decided to shutdown the game for four days starting today at 9:00 am (PT).
