Valorant Closed Beta and release are detailed in Riot Dev Diary

The Valorant Closed Beta is just a day away, and before the game’s release, Riot Games took the time to talk about the game’s progress in a video Dev Diary. Executive Producer Anna Donlon at Riot Games discussed the impact of COVID-19 on Valorant’s development and what to expect as the game releases.

Donlon emphasized that both the Valorant dev team and players worldwide are safe and healthy. Creating the infrastructure that Valorant requires involves team members traveling, and the physical shipping of servers has been impacted by growing health risks. Quality assurance teams have been affected as well.

Donlon acknowledged that some of these changes will require teams to respond differently. “The plan was to bring the Valorant Closed Beta to as many players around the world as quickly as possible,” Donlon said. “For now, we’ll have to start by focusing on just the regions where we feel most ready.”

Europe, Canada, and the United States are scheduled to start the Valorant beta on April 7. Other regions will get access to the beta “in the months to come. Honestly, as soon as possible.”

Valorant‘s future and the importance of patience

For players who gain access to the beta, Donlon admitted that the release will be a little rockier than usual. Donlon asked for “a little patience” as the Closed Beta rolls out. Players can expect some bugs and pressure points that need to be updated before a game goes live. With Valorant’s development slowed down, there might be more than usual.

Despite the concerns over the smoothness of the Closed Beta launch, Donlon and her team will continue with the beta. There may be bugs that have not been patched out, and ping might be high because of server constraints. All the data they get, however, will help improve Valorant in the long run.

The Valorant Closed Beta opens up April 7, and for some early tips before the game goes live, make sure to check out our guide on using Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as a way to improve your aim.