Valorant's new G.U.N. skin line inspired by science fiction

Olivia Richman Published 25/09/2020

Valorant is already getting another skin line.

It was just September 15 when Valorant announced its EGO skin line, which featured darker themes for the strongest weapons in each class. This included a gold-tipped knife that players couldn’t keep their eyes off of.

High risk // high heat // 9.17 pic.twitter.com/YBEbFVEQlS
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) September 15, 2020

But Valorant is already bringing a new skin line to its loyal fans. Riot Games has showcased the Gravitational Uranium Neuroblaster, or G.U.N., collection. According to Meri Station, Riot has decided to routinely drop cosmetics due to player feedback.

The G.U.N. collection is inspired by 1960s science fiction and retro-futurism. Riot mentioned authors like Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur Charles Clarke when asked how they came up with the sleek and alien-like skins.

“When it comes time to name an item we want to make sure it respects the genre and fantasy it comes from. In this case, it is inspired by the sci-fi (science fiction) of the 50-60s, so we take an approach in which things sound more complex than they really are,” lead artist Sean Marino said to Meri Station.

Valorant G.U.N. cosmetics

Valorant G.U.N. weapon cosmetics coming soon

The G.U.N. skins in the bundle include the Classic, Bucky, Spectre, Operator, and knife. Artists also considered the Phantom but ended up deciding against it because players couldn’t tell “which was which” due to Phantom’s design.

“These weapons have a unique look and we always try to keep the shape of the original when we make skins. But in some cases, it is difficult when the themes dictate that you deviate a bit from the design. We got to have the Classic, Specter and Phantom skins with this skin, but when testing them, players had no idea which was which when they picked them up. Therefore, we had to cut it,” the artist explained.

The weapon skins will be accompanied by special sound and visual effects that complement their extraterrestrial look. This was almost dropped due to short development time, but team members insisted that the science fiction experience of the weapons required the special effects.

The premium G.U.N. collection will launch on September 30, the same day Patch 1.09 goes live. Each will cost 1,775 VP, which is around $19.99. So far, Riot hasn’t announced a price for the bundle.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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