Professional competition within Riot’s hot new competitive first-person shooter is inching ever closer as more teams announce signings coming from a wide range of other competitive titles. Players from Overwatch and Counter-Strike streamers alike have been eyeing the new shooter as a means of rejoining the competitive fray of professional sports, bringing all of the stress and payouts along with it.
100 Thieves announced moments ago that they’ve officially signed their first member of their Valorant team, and it’s none other than Hiko that will be the captain of their roster.
For fans of professional Counter-Strike, the name should be readily recognizable. Hiko has spent time on a number of big-name teams during his heyday, ranging from Team Liquid (between 2015 to 2017) and Cloud9 in late 2014.
To some, Hiko may seem well past his prime. The 30-year-old has been active in sports for almost the past decade, beginning his play in professional tourneys in 2013. To others, he’s an experienced player that is more than comfortable in high-pressure scenarios and is no stranger to the stress of a stage.
Hiko has played in eight majors throughout the life of his Counter-Strike career; four of them were with Liquid during his tenure with the North American team. He’s played in 34 separate LAN events.
Valorant is looking like it will be a veritable battle-royale in determining precisely who reigns supreme, and which title will lead to the most stars in the newest competitive shooter. The title already has multiple fans biting at the proverbial bit as to who will turn into gods in the upcoming esport.
To be fair, it’s difficult to discern as to who will have the upper hand when Riot’s newest esport fully takes off.
Valorant has various mechanics that seem, at first glance, like an awkward juxtaposition between other successful titles.
The characters (heroes/agents/operators) all bring to the fray various abilities that can dynamically alter the pacing and strategy of an ongoing conflict, much like Overwatch (although not as unbalanced). However, it similarly features an extremely fast time to kill which promotes players playing strategically, along with flawless aim under pressure.
Thus far, it has all culminated in an extremely addictive title that has launched with tremendous success. Still, various fans of other titles have taken to disputing the competitive integrity of the title, casting doubts on the possibility of a long shelf-life that is necessary for an esport to truly take root. From everything seen thus far, and with Riot’s tenacity shown towards League of Legends, it’s likely that Valorant will be around for a long while.