Sure looks like a lot of Overwatch pros are ditching the game for Valorant
A number of Overwatch streamers and pro players are seemingly dropping the game en masse for Valorant.
The launch of Valorant's closed beta this week created a massive wave of interest from Riot fans, as well as shooter players in general.
Alongside this spike in popularity also came a strange, seemingly organised exodus from Blizzard's Overwatch. A large number of Overwatch streamers, content creators, and even pro players have all announced they're moving on from Blizzard's shooter. Streamers moving from one game to another isn't itself especially interesting, but many of those have built a career around Overwatch.
Twitch streamer and YouTuber Eskay, known for her Overwatch content, posted a collage of many of these departure Tweets. The list is almost too big, and though it certainly includes some jumping on the trend, there are plenty of legitimate announcements from active Overwatch players.
The list includes professional players like Gladiators Legion's eMil, Paris Eternal's George Gushcha, Dallas Fuel's Taimou as well as Overwatch streamers like Soar Kayjii, TSM Gale and many more.
Those and plenty more now all have "ex-Overwatch player", or something to that effect, in their Twitter bios. A common complaint seems to be Blizzard's handling of balance issues. Many simply stated they no longer enjoy the game, while others praised Riot's transparency and plans for competitive play as reasons to trust the developer with Valorant.
A departure on this scale is unprecedented, and it's particularly noteworthy because all of them dropped the news seemingly at the same moment. Valorant and Overwatch are, of course, comparable in some ways, but are ultimately completely different games. I would, for instance, expect CS:GO players to make that jump, not necessarily Overwatch players.
The game officially launches this year, and the beta will open up to more players and in more regions soon.
