Valorant Episode 5, Episode 1 begins on June 22. Riot Games has announced a lot of new information about what the new Chapter will bring. Not only did they reveal a new underwater map "PEARL", but some changes to the map pool were also announced; The Split map is being removed from Valorant.
Design lead of the map team, Joe "Pearl Hogbash" Lansford, announced the decision via the PlayValorant blog. After the release of Fracture last year, the Valorant map pool has increased to 7. Having seven maps allows tournament top 5s to choose two map bans and then play their tournament without repeating any maps.
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The release of the new Valorant map Pearl means the map pool will now consist of eight different maps. Lansford shared that after working with the esports team, surveying players and working with other professional organizations, the team decided to keep the number of maps at seven, and Split will be the first map to be changed.
What is the thought process behind this? Why do we need seven maps?
Lansford explains his lucky number seven with these words:
Learning a new map can be one of the hardest parts of a tactical shooter. Going from "learned" to "mastered" is even more difficult. The team finds seven to be a nice sweet spot that offers both variety and craftsmanship. You don't have to spend all your time learning new angles, lineups and strategies. New players will have an easier starting experience. And pro teams, get deeper, more exciting game scenarios. Win, win, win..
The decision to remove Split from Valorant came after analyzing a number of different factors, Lansford said, adding "player sentiment, time since launch, past and future planned updates, what the map brings in terms of strategic variability, and where Pearl fits all in" lists are just a few reasons why Split failed.
Starting with Episode 5's launch on June 22nd , Split will be removed from the Unrated and Competitive ranks, but that's not the end of Split. The map will continue to appear in alternate game modes such as Spike Rush.
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