If you’re among the thousands still hunting down a Valorant beta drop on Twitch, then Riot Games has a gift to thank you for sticking around for so long.
Last month, Riot Games launched the Valorant Closed Beta. In rather unorthodox fashion, players can only gain access via Twitch drops. By watching Valorant streams on the Amazon-owned streaming platform, viewers are in with a random chance of picking up a coveted beta access.
Millions tuned in lured by the chance to try out the hottest new title. The system led to widespread abuse as drop hunters took to eBay and the like to sell access for exorbitant prices.
As a way of recognizing the time sunk into watching Valorant streams in the hope of picking up a beta drop, Riot Games is handing out an exclusive player card. No, not access to the beta, but an in-game virtual item for a game those receiving the gift can’t play right now. The irony isn’t lost on us.
Even then, there are criteria to meet. Riot is only handing out the reward to those that have racked up the minimum two-hours of watch time to be eligible for a drop. Furthermore, the exclusive player card won’t be available until Valorant launches properly this summer, unless a hunter manages to secure beta access in the interim.
Riot Games shared the news on Twitter late yesterday . The post reads:
As thanks for all your interest in the VALORANT closed beta and hanging out with the @Twitch community, we have a small gift: an exclusive player card for anyone who’s watched enough streams to be eligible for CB. Even if you don’t get in, this’ll be in your account at launch.
The card features Valorant character Brimstone offering a salute to the hardiest drop hunters. The Twitch logo is emblazoned front and center to remind of the hours lost watching random Valorant streams.
In other Valorant news, Riot Games has extended the closed beta to South Korea, Latin America, and Brazil over the past few days. Last week, Riot also switched on ranked Valorant matches in both North America and Europe .