One among Valorant’s most divisive third-party apps has as we speak (July 20) been taken offline by developer Riot Video games following a stop and desist despatched to its creator.
Recon Bolt was a Valorant app, out there by way of iOS and GitHub, that supplied a wide range of options resembling stat monitoring, accepting queues, viewing the merchandise store and altering skins on the fly. Nonetheless, its most contentious function is the explanation Riot stepped in.
One among Recon Bolt’s paywalled options supplied gamers the power to immediately lock of their desired character earlier than choice even seems on the PC shopper. Helpful, probably unfair options like this helped the app attain roughly 338,000 downloads since its launch in October of final 12 months. (by way of PC Gamer)
Recon Bolt’s creator, Julian Dunskus, took to the app’s Discord group to substantiate its shutdown, stating Riot had despatched him a stop and desist order with the specter of being taken to courtroom ought to he not comply. Dunskus signed off by thanking the app’s followers for his or her assist.
VALORANT App “Recon Bolt” recognized for its capacity to assist Insta-Lock brokers has been compelled to close down by way of Stop & Desist letter from Riot pic.twitter.com/N1poqUCOubJuly 19, 2023
The response from the Valorant neighborhood with regard to Recon Bolt’s shutdown has been blended. Some gamers are lamenting the lack of such a helpful function, together with (fairly humorously) the lack of having the ability to select an agent while using the bathroom. Developer Dunskus also argued the app helped to degree the enjoying subject with “individuals who have quicker PCs or are quicker at clicking the required buttons (or arrange a macro)…”
Others, although, have pointed out that Recon Bolt’s on the spot character choice left gamers who do not use the app (or who had by no means heard of it) at a major drawback. It is admittedly powerful to argue with that. Having the ability to immediately lock in a most popular agent, earlier than anybody else, is an goal leg-up earlier than the match even begins.
In the end, the core drawback could lie with how Valorant’s agent choice is about up within the first place. At current, brokers are chosen on a first-come-first-served foundation, one which Dunskus hopes will ultimately get replaced “with one the place nobody will get forward by velocity.”
Valorant’s fast-paced hero shooter format presently has it ranked as our prime choose for finest multiplayer PC video games. For those who’re subscribed to Xbox Recreation Go, you may additionally be capable of immediately unlock each agent playable within the sport.
