Each time Riot Games drops a new Valorant skin bundle, fans complain over its contents. One developer has finally explained why all of the included skins in the game’s skin bundles aren’t premium quality.
Riot Games’ take on first-person shooters has quickly become one of the most popular games of 2022. While some grind for the golden badge, many play Valorant for its unique in-game content and dynamic agents. The developer has added to its available inventory with some of the most creative skin designs in the FPS genre. However, not every skins is equally good.
A recent surge in complaints regarding “lazy” skin designs has prompted a Valorant developer’s response. Valorant’s associate art director Sean Marino took to social media to explain why all bundles don’t have special effects.
The lengthy explanation came after 100 Thieves’ Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag criticized the plain and simple design of the latest Endeavor Valorant skin bundle.
The 100 Thieves owner acknowledged the skin had potential, but said the guns could use more color variants. Many players agreed with his criticism, citing that the new bundle is a “copypasta” of the old Ego collection. Even those who liked the minimal exterior were disappointed after discovering that Endeavor doesn’t have special effects.
Valorant dev Sean Marino quickly presented a detailed explanation for the “boring” Valorant skin bundles. According to the developer, not all bundles can be as lavish as the Elderflame or Gaia’s Vengeance collection due to the lengthy development process behind them.
“This team has amazing ideas and is capable of bringing those ideas to life for players. If we poured 150% into everything, the team would burn out, the skins would take a lot longer to release, and everything would be insanely expensive,” Marino said.
The art director explained that bundles with special effects could take as long as a year to be perfected. If every single bundle lands in the exclusive tier with special effects, players won’t get to enjoy a variety of skins. Moreover, animated collections cost more than a deluxe or select tier skin. Releasing just premium bundles would make accessibility to Valorant cosmetics an issue.
Those who can’t afford $100 per skin bundle can still enjoy select tier weapons at cheaper rates. So the developer is keeping the needs of all Valorant players into consideration while designing the Valorant skin bundles. Sean Marino further urged the community to give constructive criticism instead of aimlessly bashing the designs.
It’s also possible that Riot could lower the price of its skins if it wants fans to have better access to skin bundles, but that wasn’t part of Marino’s response.
Exclusive tier Valorant skins can cost a lot of money. Riot justifies this expense by pointing to the skins having special effects, color variants, and multiple upgrade levels. According to the Riot, the development process of these pricey bundles can take as long as a year, which is the reason for the skins’ high prices.
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