Yes, you read that right. A Valorant dating sim inspired by Riot Games’ Agents of Romance is slated for release in 2023 so that fans of the FPS game can get to know our Alpha Earth heroes a little better.
And why would you want to, you ask? Tell me you’re not in love with gamers – I dare you.
Like them or loathe them, dating sims are always popular, especially in eastern countries like Korea and Japan. Your mind can immediately go to the simple (but incredibly depressing) Doki Doki Literature Club, but we’re seeing more and more romantic spin-offs from popular games making their way into the public sphere. For example, we left a Addicted to your example earlier this year, showcasing Behavior Interactive’s attempt to transform Dead by Daylight Killers in cute UwU anime boys and girls.
Now I’m here to tell you that there’s a Valorant dating sim called Amorant on the cards, inspired by Riot’s 2021 prank game. Agents of romance. Fascinated? Me too, so I reached out to the lead developer, who wanted to use their alias, ImABeeBop, to talk about Valorant and dating.
Agents of romance
On April 1, 2021, I received an email from Riot about a Valorant dating sim called Agents of Romance. Even though I clocked the date of said email, it still got me thinking whether a dating sim inspired by the popular FPS might be a good idea. Despite knowing it was fake, I was a bit deflated when Riot officially confirmed the game didn’t exist. How would I romanticize Viper now?
Turns out I wasn’t the only one disappointed, as Bee cites the joke as inspiration for the Amorant team. “The Valorant team’s Agents of Romance’s first joke eventually sparked a lot of hype—perhaps more than they intended—before an incredibly loud ‘psych!’
“There was so much excitement about getting to know the characters from Valorant outside of combat, so pulling the rug over that concept left a lot of lingering disappointment in the fandom. This was the perfect starting point for a project like Amorant.”
For Bee, however, the motivation was simpler. “I’m really just here to hold Cypher’s hand. Of course I could draw that for myself, but that’s not nearly as funny as getting a large group of people together who also want to hold the hands of Valorant Agents, and spend two years making a dating sim.’
It’s worth clarifying that the project was not created by Riot, so it won’t have their official branding or be released through their client or Riot Forge. Instead, the developers have “Riot’s permission and watchful eye, but not their approval.”
Despite this, Bee says, “The rioters we’ve been in contact with have been extremely helpful in making sure we represent Valorant correctly and respectfully, but other than that they’re very hands-off and happy to see what we’re making on our own.” Amorant is not made by Riot, it is 100% made by Valorant fans!”
Many hands make light work
Of course, this begs the question ‘how on earth do you run this thing?’ The development team is all made up of volunteers, so coordinating a team of 60 budding romantics can’t be easy. “[It] is a blessing and a curse,” says Bee. “We’re not working around super-tight deadlines, but we’re also making this game while trying to live our lives outside of it.
“Many of our employees have full-time jobs or are full-time students, in addition to trying to keep up the momentum. There’s a reason we have such a great team behind us; the more hands we have on board, the easier it is for someone else to join in because people have to step back and do things in life. When we call Amorant labor of love, we mean it is a lot of love and a lot of work!”
But ironically, Bee describes Amorant as “the best kept secret of the Valorant fandom. Often when I bring Amorant to friends outside the project, I get surprised or shocked. People will long for the original April Fool’s joke on Twitter and then freak out when tag one of our contributors in the project’s Twitter account. yes, we exist.
“We are known but at the same time invisible. It’s fun in a way because we keep seeing this new wave of excitement every time someone discovers us, and that gets us excited too.”
This constant excitement, according to Bee, is the group’s greatest strength. “Every time I get a call with our team, I’m excited to see where this is going,” they say. “We have a very diverse group working on Amorant, with people from all over the world, and many have said how cool it is to meet and talk to people they would never have met otherwise. New ideas, new discussions – everyone is here simply because they want to, and everyone brings a unique point of view. We have an incredible team.
“Amorant has a dual purpose,” they continue. “The project is both a fan creation in honor of Valorant and a stepping stone into the game developer world for many of our contributors. The internal structure doesn’t necessarily mirror most real-life studios, but it certainly works like a simulation, adapting individuals to work on a team within a pipeline. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of our contributors start working with other developers in the future and make similar games!”
League of Legends dating sim, anyone? Finally, Spirit Blossom did pretty well, and Riot is bringing it back for 2022!
So I know what you’re all wondering: when can I go on some fun beach walks with Killjoy? Bee has the answer. “Under our agreement with Riot and their legal jibberjabber policy for fan projects like this one, Amorant will be completely free to play. We’ll have more information on where to find it as we near launch, with a hopeful first release date in Apr 2023.
“It’s a rolling release,” they clarify. “By that I mean that once the base game comes out, there will be regular updates with new Agent routes, new features, and new ways to enjoy Amorant. Even if you think you’ve played everything there is for a character, older routes can be updated with new content and other things to do. It is an evergreen project.”
As someone who’s been interested in the project from the get-go – I even tried it out as a story writer before life got too chaotic – I’m really excited to see Bee and the team reimagining Valorant’s colorful cast of agents. Their personalities already shine through in-game, and I can’t wait to see the team expand their knowledge (non-canonical, of course).
If you need me I’ll hold Fade hand in hand, but if you want to kill some time be sure to check out our Valorant character list to see which Agent will be the subject of your affection, as well as our best Valorant reticle and codes – you don’t want to miss that cupid’s arrow, do you? Sova wouldn’t be happy.
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