"Everything is completely warranted" - Valorant pro TenZ responds to criticisms of his gaming mouse, says it's not "quick cash grab"

Valorant pro, Tyson Ngo, popularly known as "TenZ," has responded to criticism surrounding the launch of his new gaming mouse. For context, on November 26, 2023, the professional gamer took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that he had partnered with the Prodigy Agency to create the "TenZ Secret Mouse." He added that 20,000 mice would be made available for pre-order on November 27, 2023.

While the peripheral's announcement received a lot of positive feedback, some netizens claimed that the esports player was trying to sell an "overpriced product" in the name of "perfection." X user @smartron07 wrote:

"Esports player try not to sell overpriced products in the name of perfection challenge impossible."

On November 29, 2023, TenZ apologized via a public statement on X. Claiming that he "completely understood" the negative reaction towards the mouse, the Sentinels-affiliated personality wrote:

"First off I just want to genuinely apologize on the latest launch of my new mouse. I completely understand the negative comments that are being made towards the project, and everything is completely warranted. This model for making a mouse from scratch and releasing pre-orders before the mouse is even finished has never been done before, and it was super ambitious."

TenZ also clarified that the Secret Mouse project was not a "quick cash grab" but something he was very passionate about:

"I also want people to know that I did not do this for a quick cash grab. If you know me, I genuinely love gaming peripherals (mice in particular) and so this is something I'm very passionate about and have always dreamed about doing. I am still super excited about the future of this project since this is the first time I will have full creative freedom over everything regarding the mouse."

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"My management believed it was an interesting idea to reveal each part of the mouse step by step" - TenZ explains why his gaming mouse went on pre-order before development was completed

In the social media address, TenZ claimed that his management thought it would be an "interesting idea" to reveal and showcase each component of the gaming mouse one at a time, allowing users to pre-order the product if they "believed" in it.

Admitting that this decision was a "stretched attempt" to sell something with no finalized shape, specifications, or weight, the content creator wrote:

"My management believed it was an interesting idea to reveal each part of the mouse step by step and allow people to pre-order if they believed in the project. Looking back at it now, I know it was a stretch to attempt to sell a mouse that had no finalized shape, specs, or weight. At the end of the day, Shape is King."

The Twitch streamer also announced that future pre-orders would be halted for the time being. He added that those who have already pre-purchased the mouse would have the following options:

"I will still be making regular updates to the people who actually care and want to follow the development of the mouse from start to finish. With that being said, I will also be freezing any future pre-orders for the time being and an email to the people who have already pre-ordered the mouse will have the option to either fully refund their current purchase or keep it."

The 22-year-old apologized once again for releasing the gaming peripheral hastily by writing:

"Everything was definitely rushed and once again I'm super sorry with how this all turned out. Hopefully, I can share more updates soon and I will not give up on my dream."

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TenZ Secret Mouse Founder Edition's "super early prototype" (Image via @TenZOfficial/X)

Additionally, TenZ revealed a "super early prototype" of the "Secret Mouse's" Founder's Edition, which is expected to weigh 50 grams.