Riot Games to Crack Down on Toxicity in Valorant Using Voice Evaluation Update

Riot Games is ramping up its efforts to limit toxicity in Valorant. The publisher just updated its Privacy Notice and Terms of Service that now states that the game will be able to record your in-game voice communications as part of Riot Games’ efforts to curb toxicity. While the feature can be useful in keeping communications clean within Valorant, it has also raised some privacy concerns.

The Voice Evaluation feature is completely optional

Voice chat abuse is significantly harder to detect compared to text and it requires manual input from Riot Game’s team to curb disruptive behavior. Riot Games wants to automate this process by implementing voice chat monitoring and identifying cases of toxicity.

Riot Games had previously stated that Valorant’s voice moderation will not be launched until it is “perfect.” The publisher is now looking to test voice evaluation in North America next month and it will eventually roll out to other regions in the future. Riot Games has said that it will post regular updates on the changes and improvements we make to the system.

The new system will roll out on 13th July and it will be used to monitor English only. Riot Games will not be using the feature for any disruptive behavior reports for now and it is to test the language models of the feature, to help it understand accents, speaking mannerisms and other elements of communication.

The feature will launch in beta for monitoring toxicity later this year but it has also led to some privacy concerns. The feature is completely optional, but players who do not want their voice data to be recorded will not be able to use voice chat either.

Losing out on voice communications can put players at a disadvantage if they are concerned about their privacy but text chat and in-game pings will continue to be available for players. Players can also use third-party software like Discord to communicate with teammates if they are playing together which can alleviate some privacy concerns.

Riot Games said in a recent blog post that the voice evaluation feature is “brand new tech and there will for sure be growing pains. But the promise of a safer and more inclusive environment for everyone who chooses to play is worth it.” The publisher is also aware that the technology might not be ideal and if there are cases of players being wrongfully flagged by the feature, there will be remedial systems in place to correct such issues and restore access to players who are wrongfully punished.