The highly anticipated Valorant China launch has not only garnered critical acclaim but has also proven to be a strategic triumph for Riot Games, the visionary developers behind this thrilling first-person hero shooter game.
Chinese players can now finally bid farewell to days of relying on VPNs and proxies to experience Valorant’s adrenaline-pumping gameplay, and they no longer need to venture abroad to showcase their skills in prestigious Valorant World Tour (VCT) tournaments.
As such, the much-awaited introduction of Valorant in China comes about after the end of the 18-month freeze on foreign game approvals in April 2022. Seizing this golden opportunity, Riot Games wasted no time in seeking the seal of approval from China’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), the regulatory body responsible for granting licenses to foreign games seeking distribution in the country.
To Riot Games’ jubilation, the approval was granted by the regulators in December 2022 as part of the second batch of approved foreign games!
Valorant China Release Date
The excitement surrounding the game’s open beta in China reached a fever pitch on June 5th, when Valorant broke the news via their YouTube Channel, as this meant that the final launch date was inching ever closer!
The long-awaited moment finally arrived on June 28th, when Whalen Rozelle, the esteemed COO of Riot Games, took center stage at a momentous press conference held in Shanghai. There he announced the Valorant China launch date.
Announcing that the company “hopes” to welcome China to the VCT in 2024, Whalen disclosed the final release date to be 12th July 2023.
The event was attended by many other notable senior Riot Games executives, including John Needham (President of eSports) and Anna Donlon (SVP and Executive Producer of Valorant).
Moreover, Tencent Holdings, the largest video games publisher in the world, acquired Valorant’s publishing rights in mainland China and is all set to host the game on dedicated “Chinese” servers.
As per Tencent, Valorant is its “most important game published this year” and will be made available to players on the mainland, starting from Wednesday.
ALL New Exclusive Features in Valorant China
Although NPPA granted Riot Games the approval to launch Valorant in China, it was not without adherence to strict policies set by the Chinese regulators, such as following certain directives and incorporating gameplay changes.
As such, in order to make sure that the game complies with regional values, the Valorant China version was released with limited features and aspects.
There’s no need to worry though. The complete gameplay will soon become available, albeit in phases.
Valorant China Agents and Maps
Presently, Riot Games rolled out Valorant China with limited Agents and Maps.
The Starting 16 Agents are:
- Sage
- Jett
- Phoenix
- Brimstone
- Viper
- Omen
- Sova
- Cypher
- Reyna
- Killjoy
- Skye
- Harbor
- Neon
- Raze
- Chamber
- Breach
The Starting 4 Maps are:
- Bind
- Ascent
- Haven
- Split
Additionally, there are 5 major game modes, including the recently introduced TDM mode.
Btw, do you see your current Valorant champion included in the list above? If yes, then it’s about time to get some cool champion skins and make sure your champion meets new Valorant players in style!
And in case you are situated outside China and don’t have access to the Valorant China version, then there’s still no need to worry! Get a Valorant China account here!
Valorant China Katana Melee Skin (Tai Chi Fan)
Valorant’s arrival in China may have been fashionably late, but it has certainly made a grand entrance with a tantalizing array of exclusive features that leave players worldwide green with envy.
Chinese Valorant players, by far, are best equipped with the most mouth-watering skin. Better known as the Fire Blade, the Tai Chi Fan Melee Skin has long been making the rounds on social media long before the official Valorant China launch.
Because of its divine beauty appeal and mesmerizing animations, Valorant China Tai Chi Fan Melee Skin has become the current cult obsession of the Valorant community.
However, rumors had been circulating about its exclusivity to Chinese players. And because the rumors were true indeed, it caused an uproar among the Valorant community.
Since many started griping over its exclusivity to Chinese players, Valorant made the melee skin available for all Valorant players on July 11th, 1 day before the official Valorant launch in China.
Fire Blade is not an exclusive skin anymore.
If you want it and don’t have one right now, you can get the Fire Blade melee skin here, along with many other cult-classic melee skins!
An In-Built Tool for Game Recording
Unlike the Tai Chi Fan melee skin, which became non-exclusive, there is yet another exclusive feature for the Valorant China version. It’s an in-built tool for game recording developed and integrated by Tencent for the game that lets Chinese players record and replay their online matches.
Known as the Fearless Moment, Chinese players can use this recorder to view their recorded matches, check key moments, replay matches, as well as instantly upload them. The Fearless Moment also lets players tune their microphone and recording qualities as per their preferences.
And that’s not the end of the picture yet! Thanks to the Fearless Moment, Chinese players can also get comprehensive statistics for in-game information, including but not limited to damage dealt, utility usage, and KDA.
Other Exclusive Features
- The Valorant China version comes with the Arcane Bundle as well as the Champions Bundle 2021 and 2022.
- Each agent in the Valorant China version has a playable video that demonstrates their abilities.
- There is an all-new detailed weapon guide system mechanic that explains how much damage each weapon does at different distances and how much each gun costs.
- There is also a dedicated tab for Valorant China esports that showcases the schedule of VCT matches besides the highlights from the top teams and talents.
- And as if this all was not enough, a Discord-like text messaging system is also integrated into Valorant China.
Final Thoughts
As seen above, Valorant China has got all the features that the Valorant community has been hoping for so long.
But because the Tai Chi Fan melee skin has been made non-exclusive, we have every reason to believe that the remaining exclusive features will also become available to the Valorant community in time.
What do you think? Will we be getting all the current Valorant China exclusive features? Share your thoughts with us and let us know in the comments
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