Valorant released Act 3 last month which provided fans with a lot of new content. However, it seems that many are not altogether happy with them. One of the main issues that many fans had was against the newest Valorant map named Icebox, so much so that a vocal group of naysayers even wanted the map removed completely.
Now, those fans who had a problem with Icebox may not be too pleased with what Riot Games has planned for future map designs. Design Director Joe Ziegler recently confirmed in a Dev Diary video that the upcoming maps they’re working on will have a similar design to the contentious Icebox map.
If you haven’t been keeping up with the latest Valorant news, the way Icebox was designed caused a hubbub in the game’s community. There are many players who feel neutral about the map, but as mentioned, there’s a vocal group that wants it gone.
One of the reasons why they dislike Icebox so much is because there are so many angles that they have to deal with. Not only that, Icebox deals with a lot of vertical vantage points throughout the map, and some also don’t like that.
Despite the commotion, it seems that Valorant’s design team is happy with how Icebox turned out, and upcoming maps might be following its footsteps design-wise.
Just today, the most recent Dev Diary video was released on Valorant’s official YouTube channel, and the main topic was the future of the game’s maps. In general, Ziegler discussed the addition of map diversity, as well as the future of maps in Riot’s first-person shooter.
Ziegler explained that the first four maps that were initially included in Valorant were meant to help the players get accustomed to the game and its playstyle. Following that statement, however, Ziegler said that “Moving forward, I hope you can see how we’ll continue challenging the basic concepts of map design in order to promote more diverse, strategic play.”
The Design Director went on to say that Icebox was able to do what they wanted to convey, as its design promotes matches that require “sharper aim and quicker decision making to win.”
From this video, it’s clear to see that the team behind Valorant’s map design is pleased with how Icebox turned out and they won’t simply be discouraged by the fans’ criticisms. While it’s most likely impossible for Riot Games to remove Icebox completely, there’s still a chance that Valorant’s development team will make some changes and improvements to future maps.
There’s also another thing that Ziegler talked about in the Dev Diary video that may be interesting to some. He confirmed that the ability to create community-made maps won’t be supported in Valorant for awhile.
This is because it would take “years of development time” to add that kind of feature into the game. In any case, while those who are against Icebox may not be thrilled about this news, those players who do happen to enjoy it can look forward to similarly-challenging maps in the future.
