Cybersleuths believe next ‘Valorant’ agent will be Filipino based on Riot Games clues
By Bryan Ke
Cybersleuths have potentially spotted some juicy teasers about the next agent of Riot Games’ popular shooter “Valorant,” suggesting that the next character could be a Filipino from Taguig, Philippines.
Their findings: The speculation of a Filipino agent first came after Riot Games posted a teaser video in November, showing Valorant agent Killjoy’s desk and computer setup, Sportskeeda reported.
- Eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed “00110001 00110100 00101110,” the binary code displayed on the left monitor. A translation of the number revealed the coordinates of the City of Taguig in the Philippines. This discovery led to the conclusion that the next agent could be Filipino.
- Newly discovered voice lines from French agent Chamber further support the speculation. Twitter user @Shiick shared some of the voice lines online, and in one of them, Chamber can be heard addressing agent Viper’s outfit and name-dropping the Philippines’ capital, Manila, in his quip.
- “Viper, your suit is a little stifling, no? When you go meet the new agent, maybe pack something light. Manila is quite warm this time of year,” Chamber said.
- Other voice lines also suggest the next agent is one of the Radiants, a group of individuals who developed supernatural abilities following the First Light event that affected Earth.
- If the speculations prove to be accurate, this character will become the first Filipino and Southeast Asian agent in “Valorant,” something that the game’s character producer John Goscicki teased in July, Mindanao Times reported.
- “It’s absolutely awesome and we’d love to actually make an agent from Southeast Asia at some point,” Goscicki shared. “As to when, I can’t say on that one but it’s definitely on top of mind for us.”
“Valorant” and the Philippines: Riot Games’ general manager for Southeast Asia and Taiwan, Justin Hulog, said he did not expect “Valorant” to become such a hit in the Philippines, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic severely affecting many public establishments during its release in June 2020.
- “I was actually kind of surprised at first with the popularity of the game primarily because — in the Philippines and Indonesia in particular — COVID happened last year,” Hulog told Yahoo! Esports Southeast Asia. “The main way that we thought people would get to know about the game was through PC cafes, but most of those were closed and shuttered.”
- The game’s free-to-play model, partnered with the nostalgia for “Counter-Strike Version 1.4,” has played a crucial role in helping “Valorant” find popularity in the Philippines, according to Spin.ph.
- Although Southeast Asia is dominated by mobile and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, the first-person shooter (FPS) genre is still popular in the Philippines, with “Valorant” now known as one of the most well-known shooter titles in the Southeast Asian country.
Featured Image via VALORANT
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