Riot immortalizes deceased Valorant pro with a title

Fariha Bhatti Published 26/04/2023

Riot Games has paid tribute to professional Valorant player Gizem “Luie” Harmankaya, who died in the 2023 Turkey earthquake.

The Valorant episode 6 act 3 battle pass went live on April 25, 2023 with heaps of content and updates, but one card stands out the most. Riot has immortalized a deceased Valorant pro by dedicating a player title to her name. The “Gizem” title is making rounds among the players, who are grinding the battle pass to remember the iconic Game Changers pro.

Riot has a history of adding meaningful content in Valorant battle pass. This time, the developer is remembering Gizem. Valorant’s global community manager shared the in-game screenshot on Twitter.

“A very special tribute in memory of Gizem “Luie” Harmankaya in the new battle pass,” Jo-Ellen Aragon wrote.

Gizem, a pro player in Valorant Game Changers, was among the thousands who lost their lives in the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey in 2023. After being trapped under the rubble for three days, she was unable to survive, and on February 6 of the same year, it was confirmed that she had passed away. Her friends claim that the authorities’ negligence and lack of efficiency resulted in a delayed rescue operation.

Gizem wasn’t new to Valorant. The pro player had competed under different banners, including Galakticos Sirens, Vivace Vista, and more. Her death shook the entire Valorant community, who mourned her loss for days. However, fans can now remember the pro player in-game by grinding the free battle pass up to tier 5.

This isn’t the first time Riot has paid tribute to a deceased Valorant personality. Previously, the developer added Corbin’s Light Gun Buddy for a player who lost his battle to cancer and Revive Me Jett Spray for an iconic meme initiated by a player who passed away at 21 years of age.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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