"Get those Recon Darts and Haunts ready!": Valorant dev shares goals and inspirations behind new TDM map, Drift

Riot Games recently revealed that Valorant will soon include an exciting new map, Drift. This one, set to debut on December 5, 2023, takes inspiration from Thailand's floating markets and promises to elevate Team Deathmatch gameplay with its rich details and sleek layout. We had a conversation with Joey Simas, Valorant's Lead Map Designer, about the challenges and motivation behind the creation of Drift.

When asked about the difficulties when designing, he spoke about weapon and environment interation, and later advised:

"Get those Recon Darts and Haunts ready!"

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"Drift takes our approach to TDM maps and carves out more isolated lanes, allowing for more predictable fights": Valorant dev speaks about the design goals for Drift

The new Team Deathmatch map from Riot Games seems to follow the same design guidelines as earlier models, based on the teasers released on December 1, 2023. When asked about their design goals for Drift, Joey Simas responded:

"Drift takes our approach to TDM maps and carves out more isolated lanes, allowing for more predictable fights. It also features a long-range mid that has several paths that let you weave in and out of the space for more dynamic engagements."

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Ideas and motivation to communicate with Drift

Ascent, Bind, and Split are the sources of inspiration for the first three TDM maps in Valorant: Piazza, District, and Kasbah. Ziplines are a new addition to the Team Deathmatch mode that the new map, unique in the pool, will introduce.

We further asked Joey Simas about what inspiration/notable concept they wanted to convey with Drift, to which he answered:

"For gameplay, we wanted to create a long-range space that players would enjoy fighting over. There are lots of aim duels to be had, but there’s also a rope overhead that players can jump up to and quickly swap lanes. Artistically, we took inspiration from Thailand and its floating markets."

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Unexpected challenges while designing drift

Designing a Valorant map is no joke, but it is achieved thanks to the team of developers and designers who work day and night, tackling numerous challenges as they roll out a complete product that pleases the community. We asked Joey Simas whether he had any similar unexpected challenge or novelty stories from his time building Drift, to which he responded:

"The buildings and architecture in Thailand around a floating market are mostly made of wood. This proved to be a large challenge when we started to art the map because suddenly weapons could penetrate a lot of thick surfaces. Through a lot of testing and iterations, we eventually found a nice balance between gameplay readability and weapon penetration. Get those Recon Darts and Haunts ready!"

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What do the fans have to say about Drift?

Valorant's recent X (formerly Twitter) posts revealing a few bits of the new Drift map have garnered lots of positive responses as it breathes fresh air into the TDM map rotation. Here are some of the top comments :

Fan's reaction to the new TDM map, Drift (Image via X/Valorant)

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