Riot suspend TenTen and issued a warning to fl1pzjder for racial remarks

The Korean Valorant pro, TenTen has been barred from his upcoming four VCT appearances by Riot after he made racial remarks during a live stream.

In a recent esports development, Riot Games, the maker of the well-known game Valorant, has taken a strong stance against inappropriate behavior. The VCT has suspended Japanese Valorant pro “TenTen” for his next four matches after he made racist comments on Rex Regum Qeon’s in-game leader Saibani “fl1pzjder” Rahmad’s stream earlier in July 2023.

The Japanese players can be heard verbally battling with the Indonesian player fl1pzjder in the viral video, making various insulting comments about India under the presumption that Rahmad is Indian. The disciplinary actions are the result of a two-week investigation by Riot Games regarding discriminatory slurs made by the two players.

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— VCT Pacific @ LCQ (@vctpacific) July 24, 2023

 

TenTen’s team, Northeption, reacted quickly and let him go from the team hours after the video went viral on Twitter. The Valorant community appreciated Riot Games and the Japanese team’s strict action in response to these racism-related issues, which are incredibly persistent and getting worse every day.

TenTen, who was signed by NORTHEPTION in November 2022, was the team’s top performer in Valorant Challengers Japan. The 20-year-old Korean Duelist helped his side place fifth or sixth in both the split of Valorant Challengers 2023: Japan with an average rating of 1.24 in Split and 1.22 in Split 2.

Riot Games has also sent a warning to fl1pzjder regarding the same incident. In response to the incident, fl1pzjder also made a public statement on Twitter, claiming that he and the South Korean player had settled their disagreement. These disciplinary actions are the result of a two-week investigation by Riot Games regarding discriminatory slurs made by the two players.

F1pzjde and RRQ finished seventh in the VCT Pacific League with a 4-5 record. The team needed to win the LCQ to secure an invitation to VCT Champs but back-to-back defeats against Zeta Division and Gen.G restricted the team from representing the Pacific region in Valorant Champions at Los Angeles.

Riot’s strong stance against racial slurs

While the incident is a sharp reminder of the value of upholding professional behavior in esports, it is not the first time something similar has occurred in the competitive setting at Valorant. Riot has already penalized a number of professional gamers and streamers for incidents similar to this, including Angelo “Keznit” Mori, Ricky “floppy” Kemery, former Version 1 player Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, and Jack “Jawsyt.” Recently, RNG player Ali “Swerl” Kobraee claimed on Twitter that he encountered racist abuse while competing in the Valorous Champions China Qualifier.

Header: Riot Games