Riot Games has announced the return of the VALORANT Night Market. It is nothing but the well-known limited-time store where weapon skins are sold at reduced prices? That’s right. It is coming back and the VALORANT Leaks Twitter account that is behind the leaks shared a picture that read “Night Market is coming back!” with a hashtag. It was so direct and unambiguous. It must be thrilling, right?
However, the replies are hilarious. The gamer reaction is very vivid. It has been a mixture of feelings, such as happiness, desperation, and even disbelief. Therefore, let us check it.
First of all, the hype team is surely present. We can see players like ‘Drizz’ exclaiming “Let’s goooooo! Gib some good skin pls!” and ‘Ubuntu’ just going with “take my money”. The environment is all there. The anticipation is also there. Everybody hopes that the one skin that they have been waiting for will be displayed in their personal market for a low price. A player is even begging for a prime vandal, saying “Gib me prime vandal pls”. The craving is so intense.
Further down… the contrary would be spotted. The contrary which has always been with people fears. A player’s uncertainty is so profound that he chooses to be called ‘Ignition Casino’ and simply cries “Ready to be disappointed again”. Can you believe that? Another one’s, ‘KADATO’ goes even farther saying , “We wont trust anymorešš„”, which is highly theatrical but the pain felt is understandable. It’s like a vicious cycle in a relationship where you just canāt seem to get anything but disappointment after disappointment. The same thing is happening with the Night Market which randomly picks skins for your account without disclosing its methods, thus leaving you with nothing but trash sometimes. Itās like the worst nightmare getting a gun skin with a color you donāt like and isnāt even one of your favorites.
Then, ‘nic’ brings up the practical issue and says “hopefully getting something good this time, nonstop failures, haven’t gotten a good night market in a couple of years š®āšØ”. The emoji of the sigh really magnifies it all. It is the collective exhaustion of a community of players who love the game but regard the Night Market as a slot machine that keeps giving nothing but bad surprises. The Night Market is supposed to be a fun surprise but when the surprise is always bad, it loses its appeal.
Another thing that will definitely be looked at more closely is the intercontinental games that are going on. A player from China, ‘Zijian Liang’, is expressing his dissatisfaction saying “Why does our server have to wait for the night market when the Chinese server is already having fun?” In a nutshell, he says that the regional rollout differences always make players angrier. No one wants to be in a situation where they receive the content later and for no apparent reason. Another reply attempts to clarify the dates stating “5th in China, 11th in NA,” which, if true, only serves to augment the frustration even more. Timing is of the essence.
And then there are… the very specific demands. One player, ‘nanmiansama’, throws a mini-rant: “It is suggested to delete the gun skin below purple quality, including the illusion of shape-shifting hunter. I don’t want to see these dirty things in my account.” Woah! Referring to the skins as “dirty things” is a new low of discontent. It underlines a widely held opinion: the market often fills slots with lower-tier, less attractive skins, making the “discount” feel pointless if you don’t want the item anyway. Some merely demand the good stuff. That’s it!
Hold on, what was I saying? Oh, yes, the Night Market. It is a strange love-hate thing in VALORANT. Considering the great possibilities, it always causes a similar hype whenever it is announced. Saving between 20-40% on the purchase of a premium skin bundle? Thatās a massive gain. But usually, the excitement is soon followed by a flood of memes and complaints when players find out that their personal selection is, umm, let’s say, uninteresting.
It’s quite revealing how Riot responds to this situation. The Night Market is a brilliant player engagement strategy – it drives people to log in, check the store, and even spend a bit of money they hadn’t planned on. However, the players’ emotions are pretty much the same: they want a better offer or at least the impression that the system is trying to give them something they might actually want. Maybe a filter for the guns they actually never equip, should be introduced?
So as we step into the Night Market comeback around December 5th or 11th, depending on your location, the community is split. The open-wallet optimists on one side and the hardened veterans expecting to see more from their Xbox and PlayStation counterparts.
