Valorant Game Director Joe Ziegler leaves to start new project

Valorant’s Game Director, Joe Ziegler, has announced that he will no longer be working on the game. 

Riot Games’ flagship FPS, Valorant, has had a meteoric rise since its release in the summer of 2020.

Sporting an extensive roster of innovative Agents, and a blossoming esports scene that culminated in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) in early December, 2021, the game continues to grow exponentially.

Of course, it wouldn’t be in its current state without all of the developers working away behind the scenes. One of the most prominent is Game Director Joe Ziegler, who has now confirmed his departure from the Valorant team.

Riot’s Joe Ziegler leaves Valorant team

In an announcement from December 30, 2021, Joe Ziegler dropped the bomb that he will be leaving the Valorant development team.

“It is with a heart full of gratitude and a deep excitement that I come to you today with news,” he writes. “After eight years of working on Valorant, building it from the ground up with a team of dedicated and passionate developers who’ve worked tirelessly to serve you all with the respect and admiration that you deserve, I am giving up the mantle of Game Director of the Valorant tac-shooter to my good friend, Andy Ho.

“Andy is someone who I am proud to say has put many years of his own into Valorant, and whose personal dedication to deliver to the highest standards inspires all who work with him. He has my full faith and trust that he will continue to grow and evolve Valorant year-over-year to become even better than what I could imagine it to be.”

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But what about Ziegler? “As for me, I’ll be starting something new (*wink, secrets…) in the hopes that we can even scratch the surface of the amazing impact Valorant has already had so far. That said, I’ll not be far from the game and the team and they’ll always have my support.”

He concludes with a heartfelt “thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support Valorant, and a special shout out to all who’ve supported me and my work. You’ve made my time as your Game Director a truly joyous and memorable experience.”

While Ziegler may be sneaking off to lurk in the shadows, he’s certainly not going to be forgotten. It’ll be interesting to see the direction the game takes in the hands of Ho, but either way, we know 2022 looks to be the biggest year for Valorant so far.