لاعبو VALORANT يعبرون عن استيائهم من سوء ظروف VCT EMEA

Concerns are rising within the VALORANT community as players continue to express dissatisfaction with the conditions during VCT EMEA Stage 1, which has been heavily impacted by ongoing technical issues and long downtimes.

The most detailed criticisms came from esports veteran Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev, who highlighted the poor quality of the equipment and the slow response from the Riot Games staff. Stage 1 suffered from repeated technical interruptions over several weeks, affecting the flow of competition and increasing pressure on players and broadcast teams.

The issues peaked last week during the group stage match between Team Liquid and Movistar KOI, when a stoppage lasting over 30 minutes forced officials to move the ongoing match on the Lotus map to a new server. In an attempt to address server instability, Riot temporarily moved matches to online servers, but this change led to new problems, including increased ping for players.

Daniel Ringland, head of VALORANT Esports, EMEA at Riot Games, issued a statement and apologized, explaining the difficulty of addressing these issues during the season. He said, "Resolving this issue is an extremely complex challenge, and we are in the middle of the regular season, as the studio is used almost every day, leaving us little time to disrupt systems and conduct a full investigation." Ringland also confirmed that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs, scheduled for May 8.

Derke responded critically, pointing out that players have been highlighting these issues since the beginning of VALORANT's franchise system in 2023, but not much has changed. He explained that there are ongoing problems with optimizing computers, varying settings, and poor screen quality, and players are often asked to "be patient" despite the lack of tangible improvement.

He said, "The computers are not optimized, the settings are constantly changing, and most technical stoppages are due to severe game stuttering. The support team checks the situation, whether they notice the problem or not, we continue to play. There are no fixes."

He also expressed his disappointment with Riot's decision to cancel in-person attendance for Wednesday matches, explaining that this decision affects new players making their debut in premier tournaments and the fans who traveled to support their favorite teams.

Following Derke's statement, other players echoed similar concerns. Retired Sentinels star Tyson "TenZ" Ngo pointed out that Riot's disregard for player feedback was one of the main reasons for his decision to retire. From Gentle Mates, player Thomas "kAdavra" Johner criticized the quality of the equipment, while Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasov from NAVI blamed logistical challenges resulting from sharing the venue with League of Legends events, which reduces the chances of properly adjusting equipment between competitions.

As the playoffs approach, Riot Games announced the establishment of a player council to improve communication and address athlete concerns. Ringland also promised significant equipment upgrades later this year.

In contrast, former Team Liquid coach and well-known figure in the VALORANT scene Connor "Sliggy" Blomfield proposed a more immediate solution. During a joint broadcast of the VCT EMEA tournament, Sliggy suggested moving all group stage matches online, reserving offline play only for the playoffs. He emphasized that this would provide a more stable competitive environment and reduce costs associated with maintaining the Riot Games Arena during the regular season.

As the situation evolves, all eyes are on Riot Games to monitor how they handle these critical issues in the coming weeks.