Smurfing has become a significant issue in Valorant, and publisher Riot Games is now launching a new mobile verification system via Riot Mobile in a bid to better combat smurf accounts.
In August, Riot Games announced that it was taking new and more serious steps against smurfing in Valorant to curb the issue as much as was possible. At the time, Riot had stated that smurf accounts would be suspended and banned with the help of Vanguard anti-cheat. Riot has now revealed another tool in its arsenal in the form of a verification system implemented via Riot Mobile that will be used to confirm whether accounts are breaking rules regarding smurfing, and if action needs to be taken.
The Valorant mobile verification tool is essentially a multi-factor authentication service that Riot will require certain accounts to use when those accounts are suspected of smurfing.
Riot is specifically targeting players who are engaged in smufing, the practice of purposefully playing below a player’s given skill level, and from Valorant patch 11.10 onward any affected accounts will be required to go through a mobile verification process. This verification process is generally straightforward, and players need only go through it if they’re suspected of sharing, purchasing, or boosting accounts.
Image Credits: Riot Games
All of the abovementioned acts are against Riot Games’ official Terms of Service, and severe action will be taken against offenders. Riot has revealed that purchased and boosted accounts will be permanently banned from the game following the rollout of patch 11.09. The developer is also going after shared accounts, as it has indicated that smurfing can be decreased in part by targeting account sharing.
“A sizable amount of disruption comes from shared accounts,” Riot said. “By decreasing the number of accounts that can be shared, we expect smurfing to decrease.”
The beta program of Valorant’s mobile verification was launched on September 16 in North America, Latin America, Brazil, and Korea. The system is already credited as being Riot’s most thorough anti-smurfing measure yet taken.
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Another benefit of multi-factor authentication is that it could help to keep player accounts more secure. According to Riot, between 80 and 90% of stolen Valorant accounts don’t have MFA enabled.
Fans are divided on this new development, with many questioning why Riot isn’t imposing the requirements on all competitive ranks in the game, arguing that smurfing is rampant in gold-ranked and lower lobbies that will remain unaffected by the new system.
Regardless of the community’s initial reaction, fans will ultimately be happy if Riot is indeed successful in combating smurfing in Valorant.
Feature image credits: Riot Games
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