Valve issues new amendment for VAC banned CS: GO professionals: How will it impact Valorant esports?

CS: GO to bring back VAC Banned players (Image via Essentially Esports)
CS: GO to bring back VAC Banned players (Image via Essentially Esports)

Valve recently made an announcement regarding VAC-banned players being able to pursue a professional career.

The Valve Anti-Cheat system, better known as VAC, was the detection system created by Valve to keep cheaters in check. Throughout that time, VAC has been criticized by the community about its effectiveness. Even though thousands of players have been issued a VAC ban, some still suggest that VAC is unable to perform its duties properly.

Regarding VAC bans being handed out to CS: GO professionals, the first name that comes to mind is Team Titan's secondary AWPer Hovik "KQLY" Tovmassian. The French professional CS: GO player received a VAC ban for using cheating software during a professional match in 2014.

In a recent update from Valve, it has been stated that players like KQLY will be allowed return to professional gameplay. According to Valve, players will be barred from entering professional tournaments only if they received a VAC ban within the last five years or any time after their first participation in a Valve-sponsored tournament.


How will Valve's new VAC policy affect CS: GO's professional scene?

Valve's new policy states that a player who has already served a VAC ban for more than five years is eligible for a return to the professional CS: GO scene. The number of professional players affected by this change is only a handful. On the bright side, regular players who were previously barred due to a VAC ban will now have the option to join the esports scene.

A name that comes to mind when talking about all this is Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen. The promising star was handed a VAC ban in 2013. Till date, it is unclear whether he cheated or if it was someone else who cheated after his account was sold.

Even though this happened before he burst onto the professional CS: GO scene, Valve did not come to an understanding regarding his ban. Even after countless legal battles between the player and Valve, the latter did not budge from their decision. But finally, due to this amendment from Valve, he will be able to pursue a career in CS: GO esports.

Some might suggest this as a dire move from Valve to keep their FPS title from dying. Whatever the case, this is an important move from Valve, especially for those who were barred from entering professional CS: GO due to a VAC ban.

Contrary to common belief, after this revelation, the situation of iBuyPower is not going to improve in any manner whatsoever. The whole team was banned due to match-fixing and not on grounds of a VAC Ban. Such bans are still in action and will not be tampered with.


How will this affect Valorant's esports scene?

As for the question of whether this move from Valve will disrupt any sort of normality in Valorant esports or not, it is something only time will tell. Yet, considering how Valorant's esports scene is growing, it is unlikely that this decision from Valve will drastically change anything.

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Edited by Nikhil Vinod