Valorant to not include loot boxes or character skins, says Riot Games

Things keep trending up for Riot Games’ new FPS title, Valorant. According to a recent report, the upcoming shooter will not feature any kind of loot box system. Obviously, this is the current trend in game development, as some countries have fully outlawed loot boxes in video games. However, Riot has also stated that character skins won’t be available at launch, which is scheduled for the second half of 2020. Instead, weapon skins will be the main priority, which will be unlockable through the in-game store or in the game’s Battle Pass.

Valorant to take the high road with cosmetics

For a few years, it seemed like every multiplayer title that released had some form of loot boxes. The system really picked up in 2014-2016 with releases like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Overwatch. However, fans quickly grew tired of the practice, as most couldn’t receive what they wanted from the crates.

Recently, the trend of loot boxes has died down as international governments defined the system as gambling. So, while it’s nice to see Valorant won’t include loot boxes, it was to be expected.

Although, one thing that wasn’t expected is that there are “no specific plans” to add character skins at the moment. According to Riot Games, they’re simply a “possibility for the future” for Valorant.

For the weapon skins though, presumably it will act similarly to Fortnite‘s popular Item Shop, where players can purchase cosmetic items directly.

However, as previously noted, there will be another way to unlock the skins in Valorant. Riot Games has stated that it plans to introduce a Battle Pass-like system in Valorant, which could also mimic that of Fortnite. So, the more you play the game, the more skins and game items you unlock.

Make sure to keep up with Daily Esports for all Valorant coverage.