Riot Games Enforces Strict Bans on Valorant Players for Game Changers Rule Violations

Riot Games has recently taken strict action against two VALORANT Game Changers players, Madelyn "malibu" Campos and James "Summertime" Edwards, for violating the rules. The investigation revealed that both players broke the VCT Game Changers regulations, leading to severe suspensions.

The team Noot Noot, which included malibu and Summertime, was disqualified from the VALORANT Game Changers series in 2023. This decision came three months after a crucial match that saw Noot Noot advance in the tournament. Riot's ruling is harsh: malibu is banned indefinitely from all Riot-endorsed competitions, while Summertime faces a one-year suspension.

The official competitive ruling, published on the VALORANT esports website, details the violations by malibu and Summertime. Malibu's indefinite ban stems from her previous evasion of a hardware ban by Riot's Anti-Cheat team and providing false information during the Game Changers verification process, including using an AI-generated profile picture. Summertime was implicated in submitting this misleading information.

After the disqualification, both players deactivated their social media accounts. However, their teammate Allison "xann" Angel commented on the situation, focusing on the verification process rather than in-game cheating.

The penalties have significant implications, but the disqualification of Noot Noot from the Game Changers event came too late for one of their competitors. During a match against Complexity GX3, a Noot Noot member was found guilty of breaking a competitive rule, leading to their forfeiture. This occurred just a day after Disguised Toast's VALORANT team, a group of talented Game Changers, was eliminated by Noot Noot. Disguised Toast's team will not participate in Game Changers in 2024 and plans to start anew in the Asia-Pacific region.