Game Design Lead Trevor "Classick"  Romleski and Senior Game Designer (focusing on maps) Salvatore "Volcano" Garozza were interviewed internally at Riot HQ in a video called To design a tactical shooter, Dev Diaries.  The two provide insight and feedback into why VALORANT may feel different than other FPS games players may have tried.

The designers went on to explain how some players enjoy different roles in a tactical shooter and that each Agent was designed to help players enjoy these roles. Some players like entry fragging, some players like covering vision for their team and the devs have created a framework to understand these nuances. This allows them to create nuanced Agents that complement these roles.

Romleski, who previously worked on League of Legends live balance, is very familiar with the cadence in which players want changes and adjustments. One of the most telling moments of the video is when Romleski responded in an unspecific manner towards balance issues the team might see on "a forum or whatever social platform".

In other words, they know that most players believe some Agents are too powerful (IE, Raze. However VALORANT is taking a patient approach when balancing the game. The team isn't "knee-jerk reacting" to balance issues, as they want to make sure players have time to problem solve and figure out for themselves if something is "truly OP".

Garozza continued the explanation, conceding that it was a "tough balance" to find. Ultimately, the two ended the topic saying that their "current take" is to "let things take their course" and give players time to "solve the problem on their own"

Considering Garozza's past as an FPS competitor, his respect for players' ability to surpass initial game imbalance using their own skill and creativity isn't surprising. Before the modern luxury of weekly patches, a games competitive balance was a rigid concept that rarely changed just because players asked it to.

This and many other development decisions inspired by veteran esports values continues to earn Riot praise as Valorant continues it's closed beta.