Riot Addresses Smurfing Issue in VALORANT
Riot Games has acknowledged the issue of smurfing in VALORANT and is actively investigating the matter. Competitive designer Jon Walker and producer Sara Dadafshar discussed the frustrating topic in a recent blog post, but they don’t have a concrete plan to share just yet.
“For those that encounter smurfs, we know it’s tough to stomach that there’s no immediate solution today, but we have to make sure that we are approaching this complex space in the right way without screwing up other systems,” said Walker and Dadafshar. They believe that combating smurfing involves more than just punishment – it’s about making VALORANT more accessible so that players with good intentions don’t feel the need to smurf.
Riot is asking important questions to address the issue, such as why players smurf, how to identify them, and what changes need to be made to combat it. Many top players create smurf accounts to avoid long queue times or play with lower-ranked friends, but there are also smurfs who do it with malicious intent to troll or stomp on lower-ranked players.
While there is no timeline for a solution yet, Riot is actively working on mitigating smurfing in players with no malicious intent. Once they are satisfied with this solution, they will take action against the smurfs with bad intentions.
As the issue of smurfing remains a primary focus for the VALORANT team, a solution can be expected in the near future.
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