Riot Games has been trying to launch Valorant in China, a milestone that could definitely help boost the game’s popularity. Well, looks like that day has finally come – the first-person shooter is arriving in the Land of the Red Dragon.
Just recently, the Chinese government’s National Press and Publication Administration released a list of approved games ahead of 2023. Luckily for Riot Games, its title Valorant is part of it. The list, in particular, details more than 80 domestic games all set to become playable to Chinese fans and gamers, alongside a good number of foreign titles.
While Valorant has been experiencing issues here and there, with smurfing being one of them, it still manages to sit among the most played video games in the world. And with its arrival in China soon, its player count will, without a doubt, get a significant boost.
Entering China is not an easy feat though. The country’s video game market is heavily regulated and video game titles developed abroad usually face a very lengthy process of approval and licensing. The exact same thing happened to Valorant, though that is now a thing of the past.
Although China has greenlighted Valorant, it will not necessarily be available to the public market right away. It might take days or weeks before the tactical first-person shooter game becomes accessible. It is worth noting though that on the official NPPA site, the game is listed as Fearless Covenant – not Valorant. Also, the game will be available for download via the official Tencent game launcher.
At the time of this writing, Riot Games has yet to comment on the news. The company has also not explained why the game is called Fearless Covenant in China. Neither did it give out an official release date in China. Players and fans alike will know for sure soon.
Although Valorant was not approved by the government before, it was not really illegal to play it in China. In fact, there have been tons of Chinese teams in the pro scene competing on the highest level, such as EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix ZHUQUE. Once it goes live, players will no longer have to use VPN to access and play it.
