Twitch has put a stop to streamers farming Valorant beta drops

(Image credit: Riot Games)

Twitch has updated its community guidelines to put a stop to streamers exploiting the 'Drops Program' that doles out Valorant closed beta access to viewers. It turns out that some of them have been tagging VODs running continuously as live to attract viewers.

📢 We’ve heard concerns about creators continuously streaming VODs while tagging the channel as "Live" to farm Valorant Drops. This harms the integrity of our Drops Program so we’ve updated our Community Guidelines to clarify that cheating any Twitch rewards system is prohibited.April 28, 2020

All Valorant streams now contain these drops, which is currently the only way for most people to gain access to the beta, which of course has resulted in lots and lots of streams and even more viewers. It's not surprising, then, that some streamers have started using unscrupulous methods to get a leg up on the competition.

Game director Joe Ziegler commented on the change in policy, calling Twitch a "great ally" in assisting Riot during the beta.

Twitch has been a great ally in helping us ship our beta, and they are continuing to support the best efforts to ensure drops stay fair. Here's an update on their VO/Drop policies. https://t.co/jeEM9m6l8uApril 28, 2020

Cheers, Talkesport.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.