Ever since Riot Games started giving more info about their new shooter Valorant, we've seen more reports of pro players turning their backs on their old titles.
Just recently, a pre-recorded Valorant event was broadcast, where we were able to see full matches and full gameplay for the first time. This stream also provided the first opportunity for all viewers to get beta keys. The closed beta for the game officially starts on April 7 at 14:00 CEST and anyone who gets a key while watching a Valorant stream on Twitch can participate.
Already before the event, several esports pros announced that they will switch to Valorant and after the event their number increased.
Swag becomes Brax
We already reported that the former CS:GO professional Braxton "swag" Pierce was signed by T1 Sports & Entertainment as a Valorant professional. He already announced his departure from Swole Patrol at the end of February and declared that he would end his CS career to concentrate completely on Valorant (then Project A). For this reason, he also changed his player name to "Brax". His goal: to become the best Valorant player in the world, which he was denied in CS:GO due to the iBUYPOWER scandal.
- READ MORE: T1 make swag the first Valorant pro player
I am no longer with Swole Patrol. I have decided to take a step back from competitive CS and although I may still stream CS in the future, my main goal is to await the release of Project A and put my ambitions of being the best in the world to fruition.
— Brax (@brax1wnl) February 28, 2020
Poach says "bye, bye Fortnite"
Fortnite pros are also turning their attention to the unreleased title: at the end of March, Jake "Poach" Brumleve announced that from now on he would no longer stream Fortnite but Valorant. He said some harsh words about Fortnite - the game seems to restrict him and hasn't been fun for him for a while. He also mentioned he is a very competitive player and Fortnite's competitive scene just doesn't offer what he wants. He also thanked his organization Team Liquid for always being there for him and for supporting his move to Valorant.
Stepping away from FortniteRead: https://t.co/Q1HxOArA4f
— POACH (@Poach) March 31, 2020
Poach already retired from the competitive Fortnite scene in June 2019 to concentrate on streaming. Until then he was one of the best earning Fortnite players ever - with over $300,000 in prize money.
Psalm wants to be there from the beginning
The runner-up of the Fortnite World Cup 2019 Harrison "psalm" Chang announced that he's also turning his back on Fortnite.
My dream is to be the most decorated competitor in gaming history. I have my eyes set on @PlayValorant next.Thank you @FortniteGame for everything. I was given the chance to achieve what only few have had the pleasure of accomplishing."Dedication sees dreams come true."KB
— psalm (@psalm) April 5, 2020
The former "Heroes of the Storm" professional moved to Fortnite in 2018 and earned almost two million dollars in prize money there in less than two years, $1.8 million from his second place in the World Cup alone. In his announcement of his move to Valorant, he said he wanted to become the most decorated competitor in the history of esports and thanked Fortnite for giving him the chance. The former Counter Logic Gaming player now wants to be there from the start when Valorant, the next "Gaming Titan", is launched.
Wanted wants to enter the big Esports stage
Overwatch professional John "Wanted" Lin will also switch to Valorant.
The next chapterRead: https://t.co/vxa53MQbFf
— Wanted (@JWantedL) April 5, 2020
He thanks Overwatch for giving him the chance to live as a streamer. On the other hand, his childhood dream has always been to play on the big stage and he wants to try to fulfill it with Valorant. Wanted is regarded as one of, if not the best, McCree players ever and is under contract with the organization Radiance.
In the coming weeks and months, we will certainly be hearing from many more professionals who are switching to Valorant. With the start of the closed beta, more and more players will finally be able to try the game and get a better idea of it. Organizations themselves have also started to recruit Valorant teams. In any case, it remains exciting to see how Valorant will influence the esports scene and whether in the end, it will be able to keep up with or even outperform established titles like CS:GO or Overwatch.
A detailed guide on how to access the beta is equally important for everyone trying to get into the exclusive beta. If you've already got a key, then choose your agent wisely: Jett, Sova, Viper and more, the choices are endless. Stay tuned for more Valorant news.
