Valorant dev update reveals Prototype Replay System, no confirmed launch date

The recent Valorant dev update revealed a Prototype Replay System that is currently in development. Clips were shared about the current state of the replay feature, which is currently not refined enough to be shipped out to players. A lot of issues regarding this feature were shared, including a plethora of challenges that had to be subverted to make it work.

While a confirmed launch date has not been revealed, the confirmation of its existence and the clips show promise. This Prototype Replay System does mark a significant step towards allowing players to analyze their matches and sharpen their skills.

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Valorant Replay System still in prototype mode

Freecam view of the current prototype system (Image via Riot Games)

In the teaser, a "freecam view" was revealed where you can move the camera around according to your preferences. A control panel is also visible at the bottom, with all the basic features that exist in a Replay System. However, this is currently a "prototype," and Valorant Tech Lead Marcus Reid went on to explain why.

In the developer update, he mentioned:

"But I want to emphasize the word prototype here, as this is nowhere near launch."

According to Reid, Valorant was built on a system that could "maximize performance, stability, and competitive integrity online." Essentially, the game had a "real-time" service based model, where all the players in a particular match experience the same server events together, in real time.

In a Replay System, new requirements arose, which included the pausing or watching a specific round in the match. Although Unreal provides a significant amount of free features for these requirements, developers at Valorant didn't plan for them, which causes a hitch in the present time.

Issues exist on the stability issues as well. According to developers, these also depend on the map, weapons, and the overall audio-visual experience of the rounds. Reid further said:

"There are a plethora of issues with maps, abilities, weapons, as well as visual and audio effects that we need to work through to make them Replay ready. Otherwise, defects show up when viewing moments out of the game and in a Replay."

The defects are funny sometimes, as noted by Reid, who shared a comparison for the door on the B-site in Ascent map:

A funny "defect" with the Replay System in Valorant (Image via Riot Games)

Other defects exist with the game's animation and timers, where the timings slightly differ in the Replay System. This can be a crucial defect, as the timing of smokes actually blooming can make or break a round in actual gameplay.

Furthermore, unlike the actual game where the smokes dissipate with a subtle dispersion animation, those in the Replay seem to just disappear after the timer ends, once again causing a slight delay between the in-game disappearing time and the actual disappearing time. Reid added:

"These clips only show a of couple defects with a couple of individual assets. VALORANT’s gameplay is built from thousands of these individual assets that all need to be audited for correctness and possibly adjusted to be correct in Replay scenarios."

As things stand, the current Prototype Replay System in Valorant needs significant changes and refinement before it can be integrated into the game. For the developers, the real challenge lies in fixing all the defects and achieving a system that can function without breaking the existing features.