Riot Games has been dropping hints about bringing Valorant to major consoles such as Xbox and PS5 for a while now. Earlier this month, Riot hired a "Game Design Manager, Console - VALORANT" and a "Senior Game Designer, Console - VALORANT", providing strong confirmation of the console version's development.
Valorant Executive Producer, Anna Donlon, commented in the “2023 Look Ahead” Dev Diaries video that development is progressing slower than the team had hoped. Just today, a new "Associate Console Playtest Analyst" position opened up at Riot Games, which suggests that things are heading towards the right direction.
Riot Games is looking for a Valorant console playtest analyst
Starting today, players in U.S. cities Los Angeles and Bellevue, have the opportunity to apply for the role of "associate console playtest analyst" on the "Valorant game analysis team" at Riot Games.
As outlined in the job description, the main focus of the Associate Console Playtest Analyst will be to test and evaluate gameplay experiences for Valorant on different console platforms. This position involves active engagement with developers and Quality Managers to “play in, plan, and evaluate playtests”. Rumours are circulating about these tests being conducted on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, and PS5.
To be considered for this role, candidates must have prior professional-level experience in console FPS games and currently hold a rank of Immortal or higher in Valorant.
Riot Games' search for a playtester with professional experience with FPS console games strongly implies that the development of Valorant for consoles is well underway. The shift from technical testing to a focus on game analysis typically indicates that the development process is at a mature stage. Therefore, it is highly likely that there is an ongoing effort within Riot Games to create a playable console version of Valorant as soon as possible.