Valorant developers destroy star studded opposition in showmatch

When Riot Games challenged leading gaming and influencer talent agency Loaded to a Valorant showmatch, there were always going to be some big names involved. Loaded put together a terrifying squad featuring Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, Jaryd “Summit1g” Lazar, Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham, Coby “Dizzy” Meadows and Erik “Fl0m” Flom.

With years of experience across a selection of shooters, and an insane amount of natural skill, the influencer team were most people’s favorite going into the match. Sure, the devs knew more about the game and the different characters abilities, but how much could that really help?

It turns out a lot. Over the course of the three-game series, the Valorant devs wiped the floor with these professional gamers, winning each map, 13-3, 13-5 and 13-2 respectively. It quickly became evident how crucial it is to play around the unique abilities, with the developer team using a bunch of predetermined strategies to outsmart their opponents. When the matches had concluded, a somewhat surprised, and incredibly impressed Shroud told his Mixer stream, “We are in a classroom right now”.

Whilst this was all just a bit of fun, it is great to see that the developers know what they’re doing. If the people building the game are strong players themselves, it puts them in a better position to understand what works and what needs changing.

Professional Esports commentator and host, Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez casted the showmatch live on Twitch. To watch back the gameplay you can access the VOD here.