The Black Market Bundle in VALORANT
On April 12th, the new cosmetic bundle for VALORANT will be released, the Black Market package. It is noticeable that this package strongly resembles the classic game Counter-Strike, coinciding with the recent announcement of Counter-Strike 2 by Valve.
What makes this bundle special is that it differs significantly from the typical style of flashy, magical-looking skins in VALORANT. The five skins included transform the game's standard weapons into an almost exact replica of their Counter-Strike counterparts. But what exactly is behind these new features?
The included skins and their similarities to Counter-Strike
- The Vandal becomes an AK-47
- The Bulldog becomes a FAMAS
- The Marshal becomes a Scout (these two already looked quite similar)
- The Classic becomes a Glock-18
- The knife becomes a butterfly knife
If there were any doubts about the similarities being a coincidence: The Black Market Bundle even references the terrorist/counter-terrorist concept from Counter-Strike by changing the appearance of the skins depending on whether you are attacking or defending.
Player reactions and possible prices
Reactions to the bundle are mixed. Some players like the cheeky nods to Counter-Strike, while others see it as a sign that Riot is intimidated by the hype around Counter-Strike 2.
Disappointment over the attack/defense skin swap feature
Another common reaction is disappointment that the attack/defense skin swap feature is exclusive to this bundle. Valorant players have been requesting a similar feature for all skins for years, but Riot has stated that this would put too much strain on hardware requirements. Riot is committed to making VALORANT run on as many systems as possible, but that comes with sacrifices.
Conclusion
The Black Market Bundle in VALORANT is an interesting homage to Counter-Strike and certainly brings some fresh air into the game. Although player reactions are mixed, this bundle shows that Riot is open to new ideas and nods to other games. It remains to be seen how the skins will be received by the community and whether Riot will introduce more bundles like this in the future.
