Riot Reportedly Halts Valorant Mobile India Launch Over Tencent Links

Riot Games' ambitious plan to introduce VALORANT Mobile in India might have hit a dead end. As per recent reports, the company has so far halted the plan to launch the mobile version of the popular FPS shooter title for the Indian region and is actively looking for a new publisher partner to launch the game globally. For many fans, this can be a bit surprising news, since fans have been waiting for the Riot tactical shooter to come to mobile in India for a long time.

While Riot Games has not officially commented regarding the release of VALORANT Mobile in India, reports from leakers like Serius2k (on his X handle) suggest that the plan is on complete hold. Here's everything to know about the reports claiming Valorant Mobile India release cancelled.

Valorant Mobile India Release Cancelled: Here is What we Know

Sources close to the project indicate that internal complications and regulatory challenges could be behind this sudden shift. The initial alpha testing of the game, which took place in certain regions last year, generated significant excitement among players, especially in India, where players had long been calling for a mobile version of Valorant.

However, the lack of any substantial progress around a regional beta and the subsequent report of the cancellation of the game's launch in India raise questions for the future of the title in that market.

Riot Halt Valorant Mobile India Launch: Primary Factor

One of the main factors affecting the release in India seems to be Valorant's mobile solution development partner, LightSpeed Studios. LightSpeed Studios is known for co-developing PUBG Mobile and Tencent Games, a Chinese technology company that is part of Tencent. Tencent has been linked to multiple banned apps in India, thus presenting a challenge for Valorant Mobile as well.

In 2020, the Indian government banned PUBG Mobile and over a hundred other apps linked to China over data privacy and national security concerns. The Indian government did a massive crackdown, particularly on apps and games from Tencent, fearing that data was being sent to servers well outside of India.

A similar situation occurred with League of Legends: Wild Rift, another game from Riot that was never officially released in India. While the game has enjoyed global popularity and Riot has a presence in other games in India, Wild Rift was never made available. Here, the reason was again Tencent's participation in the project.

If Riot is indeed looking for another publisher, perhaps it is an effort to take the game away from Tencent to meet some regulatory qualification in other countries, like India. This is similar to what Krafton did by launching PUBG Mobile alternative, BGMI, in India.

As an industry, it only makes sense that nations like India, which have growing mobile gaming markets, would be key target markets for Valorant Mobile. Meanwhile, you can check if your smartphone can play Valorant Mobile at 120 FPS in 2025 on our official website.