TL;DR
- Shroud rejects custom streamer skins, calling them ‘dangerous territory’ for Valorant
- Hundreds of popular streamers make creator skins practically impossible to implement fairly
- Team cosmetics like CS:GO stickers offer better scalability and competitive integration
- Valorant’s thriving esports scene and in-game marketing create ideal conditions for team skins
- Professional organizations like TSM and Cloud9 could receive official weapon cosmetics
While prominent streamers including Imane “Pokimane” Anys have publicly requested personalized weapon cosmetics in Valorant, professional gamer Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek presents a compelling counterargument. The former CS:GO superstar, now deeply embedded in Valorant’s competitive ecosystem, believes custom creator skins represent a problematic direction for the tactical shooter.
Despite his influential status within the gaming community, Shroud consistently maintains that his own custom skin shouldn’t be introduced to Valorant’s marketplace. Instead, he advocates for Riot Games to develop official esports-themed in-game cosmetics that would benefit the competitive scene.
Riot Games has demonstrated remarkable creativity in their skin development, releasing premium cosmetic bundles that combine aesthetic appeal with substantial price tags. The developers have explored complex narrative themes and innovative design concepts, yet personalized streamer cosmetics remain an untouched frontier. Recently, Pokimane’s community-designed Vandal skin gained significant online traction and even captured Riot’s attention. However, when fans pressed Shroud about creating his own signature weapon during a live broadcast, he immediately dismissed the concept.
“I don’t believe Valorant should pursue that path, regardless of how much I’d appreciate having my own skin. That approach ventures into hazardous ground,” Shroud emphasized during his stream.
The experienced content creator elaborated on the logistical nightmares of producing custom cosmetics for every popular streamer, given that hundreds of influential creators regularly play Valorant. While developers could theoretically experiment with limited releases before abandoning the concept permanently, creating a comprehensive streamer skin series presents insurmountable practical challenges.
“If you decide to implement content creator skins, you either release a select few and never revisit the idea, or avoid it entirely. Attempting to satisfy everyone becomes an unwinnable scenario since providing cosmetics for every deserving creator proves fundamentally impossible,” Shroud further explained.
Shroud proposes a more viable solution: implementing official esports organization skins in Valorant, mirroring the successful team sticker system from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Numerous professional players and streamers have previously expressed desire to purchase team-branded gun buddies and weapon cosmetics. Shroud highlighted that team skins would achieve greater success in Valorant because even casual players remain aware of official competitive events thanks to Riot’s integrated in-game marketing strategies.
“Team-oriented cosmetics would undoubtedly succeed, though. Riot could easily develop skins for organizations like TSM FTX, Cloud 9, and similar established teams,” he stated confidently.
Valorant’s competitive landscape continues flourishing throughout 2021, with the successful execution of their inaugural LAN tournament further solidifying the game’s competitive credibility. Riot Games has historically promoted their official competitions through both in-game interfaces and dedicated websites, making it highly probable that developers will seriously consider Shroud’s recommendation. Consequently, players shouldn’t be astonished to encounter officially licensed Sentinels Vandal or Phantom skins appearing in Valorant’s store inventory in upcoming seasons.
Action Checklist
- Evaluate current esports organization partnerships for skin collaboration opportunities
- Research CS:GO’s team sticker system to identify best practices and potential improvements
- Develop prototype team skins for top competitive organizations
- Create implementation timeline balancing developer resources with community expectations
No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » Shroud explains why pro teams should get Valorant skins, not streamers Shroud explains why Valorant should prioritize esports team skins over streamer cosmetics for competitive integrity