Opinion VALORANT

Is the Valorant Skin Black Market Inspired by CS: GO?

Is the Valorant Skin Black Market Inspired by CS: GO?

    Last Updated on April 16, 2023

The newest Valorant Skin, Black Market, seems to be a loving tribute to another FPS game. The resemblance is uncanny, and it cannot be denied. It seems that Riot Games is well aware of the upcoming release of Counter-Strike 2.

Whether it is a tribute or not, Counter-Strike fans are enraged by it. The skin line looks more like a copy rather than a loving tribute to the game. After all, it could be a response to the recent reveal of Counter Strike 2

One of the unique features of this bundle is that the Defender and Attacker weapons have different designs. This means that the skins will have a different color and design depending on which side you are on.

It even has the same concept of different-looking weapons if you are on attack or defense. Its concept is a clear ode to Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists having access to different guns on Counter-Strike. For example, Terrorists have access to the AK47 while Counter-Terrorists can purchase the M4A4 or the M4A1-S.

Black Market Valorant Skin Bundle

The Black Market bundle includes skins for the Bulldog, Vandal, Marshal, Classic, and a Butterfly Knife Melee. Each gun on the bundle looks eerily similar to its FPS counterpart, CS: GO. 

The Vandal on the attacker’s side looks like the AK-47 from CS: GO. The Bulldog skin is clearly a reference to Counter-Strike’s FAMAS gun. While the classic skin on the attacker’s side once again looks like Glock-18 from CS. 

Whether this reference is intentional or not, Riot Games should have noted the fans’ reaction to this. CS: GO players especially are outraged by this calling the bundle “CS: GO on Valorant.”

Even Tarik, former CS: GO veteran turned Valorant content creator, refers to the bundle as a set of CS skins. Given his experience in CS: GO, his comments are valid and on-point. Even a not-too-avid player of CS: GO like me can see the uncanny resemblance of the bundle. 

So is the Black Market skin a copy of CS: GO? From the looks of it, a resounding yes. However, a case can be made that it is just a loving tribute from CS: GO’s younger brother. Maybe this is just one of those valorant skins that pay tribute to another game.

If you are a former CS: GO player and you love the reference, then this is good news for you. The Valorant Skin, Black Market, is already available at the store for a limited time. Get your hands on it if you want to feel that CS: GO vibe on Valorant. 

Written By
Juan Cesar Torres

College student. Gamer since birth. Learned to read because of Pokémon. Dreams of buying a Nintendo Switch. Always looking for game recommendations (will play anything).

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