Riot Games Releases VALORANT Skins Inspired by Día de los Muertos
Riot Games is honoring the Day of the Dead with a new collection of VALORANT skins called Nunca Olvidados, which means Never Forgotten. This vibrant bundle features a stunning combination of blues, purples, oranges, and reds and includes skins for the Vandal, Bulldog, Frenzy, Ares, and melee weapons.
Authentic and Beautiful Skins
Sean Marino, art lead at Riot, explained that the goal of this project was to create skins that were both visually appealing and culturally accurate. He stated, “We wanted to be as authentic as possible and not just cover the weapons in skulls.” Instead, the skins draw inspiration from various artists and utilize imagery and colors that truly represent Día de los Muertos.
A Fearfully Beautiful Art Style
The art style of these skins combines bold colors and gradients to create a striking look. Marino explained that they aimed to strike a balance between simplicity and ornateness. Additionally, a modern twist has been added with a glowing splatter of neon paint.
Incorporating Unique Features
Riot also took advantage of their “day/night” technology by allowing the skins to change their visual features based on the lighting conditions of the map. This adds a unique and dynamic element to the skins.
A Unique Melee Weapon
For the melee weapon, Riot considered various ideas such as switchblades and daggers. Ultimately, they chose a vintage Mexican fighting knife known as tranchete or saca tripas. This weapon has a special animation where the skull-headed cane pulls out to reveal a sword.
Day/Night Tech and Variants
One of the standout features of these skins is the day/night technology. Players can choose between a day or night version of the skins using variants. While implementing this feature was a challenge, Riot believed it was worthwhile for players who preferred one lighting option over the other.
The Nunca Olvidados bundle will be available for purchase in the VALORANT store on Oct. 20 for 5,100 VP or approximately $55.