Ask a New VALORANT blog post briefed players on the development and likelihood of exciting features such as pick/ban system, replay system, gift system, and offensive/defensive weapon skin choices.
While players would like a pick/ban system, it seems unlikely that it will appear in regular competitive matches. The blog post says this isn't something the developers have planned for competitive matches, but they believe that "a map pick/ban system is worth exploring" in certain environments where "complex team strategy" is present.
Players interested in sending gifts to their friends will have to keep waiting. This feature is currently on the developers waiting list as other changes need to be prioritized. There is currently no timeline for this feature, but it will likely be added to the game.
Another highly requested feature is the in-game replay system that allows players to go over previous matches. There are currently no plans for a "player-facing version of the replay system," according to game production member Steven Eldredge. However, as this process is still in development, players can look forward to receiving an in-game message when a player reported for AFK-ing in the feature is penalized. Currently, players only receive notifications when a player has been penalized for toxic text or voice communication. Ultimately, however, players will receive a report when a reported player is penalized.
VALORANT has multiple skins for each weapon, and some players prefer to have different skins for offense and defense. The developers are "already investigating the feasibility of such an idea," but did not share their commitment to the idea in the blog post. The team said that they should ensure that a feature like this does not negatively impact the game and they should also consider possible updates to the collections page for the feature to work. The team shared that there are other concepts already underway that “could somehow compete with this idea.”
According to creative director David Nottingham, Arcane fans won't be seeing a VALORANT animated series anytime soon, as the team "will remain hyper-focused on the game for a long time to come."
