The closed beta of the new riot shooter Valorant is already a huge success. More and more Esports pros are switching to the rising star in the shooter sky. Ex-Fortnite-Pro Harrison "Psalm" Chang is one of them - and explains why.
Valorant reached around 1.7 million viewers on the first day on the streaming platform Twitch. Even though the preliminary version of the new shooter from Riot Games still has to struggle with a few problems, the interest of the esports professionals is already high - although the Free2Play shooter will only be released in summer. Why Harrison "Psalm" Chang decided to use the new shooter has now been revealed by the runner-up of the Fortnite World Championship.
Psalm speaks for Valorant
Before the Fortnite World Cup 2019, the name "psalm" was hardly known to anyone. But then the 25-year-old American secured second place and took home the prize money of $1.8 million. Recently, he and other athletes explained the switch to Valorant to be part of the action right from the start. In his Tweet, he revealed:
My dream is to be the most decorated competitor in gaming history. I have my eyes set on Valorant next.
No doubt an ambitious goal that psalm is pursuing. But if anyone can achieve it, it's probably him. Like no other, Chang has shown in recent years how easy it is for him to switch between different games.His successes include top 20 finishes in the Heroes of Newerth ladder, the Global Elite rank in CS:GO, and reaching D3 in LoL in just two months as a brand new player.
In the last decade:-Top 20 Heroes of Newerth ladder-Diamond Starcraft II S1 (highest at the time)-DotA 2 semi-pro (this one I regret quitting)-CS:GO Global Elite-Top 70 Overwatch S1 ladder-Best HotS pro in NA-2nd at FN World Cup-Hit D3 in LoL in 2 months (brand new)
— psalm (@psalm) December 31, 2019
Criticism of Fortnite grows
While psalm thanked Epic Games for his time with Fortnite and many of his fans and followers wished him luck for the future with Valorant, Fortnite was also increasingly criticized.
Fortnite Pro Evan "Cented" Barron of Team Liquid asked on Twitter:
How can an Esports scene be so uncompetitive that the 2nd of the World Cup literally leaves the game?
While psalm does not cite Fortnite's competitive scene as the reason for his switch to Valorant, criticism of the esports scene of the Battle Royale shooter is growing louder and louder. The first opinions about Riot's shooter are extremely positive. In case you haven't seen Valorant yet, check out the best streamers you can follow for a chance to get a beta key.