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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Early VALORANT character art shows a game finding its visual identity, not a finished roster waiting to be revealed. Riot’s clearest example is Phoenix: during a broader art-direction reset in 2019, the team replaced his early concept and rethought his persona and design. Accounts from artist Gary Huang and illustrator Suke show how that exploration connected to a larger challenge—making distinctive characters feel coherent and remain readable in play.
What did the original VALORANT characters look like?
There is no single, complete “original roster” established by the available material. Early character art can mean concept sketches and visual explorations, rather than finished launch illustrations or in-game models. Gary Huang’s portfolio presents work from VALORANT’s early art-style exploration and describes an effort to create coherence across character art. He writes that he worked with Moby Franke and Trevor Claxton to refine the artistic vision, and credits Claxton with the initial character concept. The portfolio is evidence of a developing style, not a catalog of every early Agent or a definitive version of each character.
The most specific documented case is Phoenix. Riot’s retrospective says his first concept art was among the early work discarded during an art-direction and Agent-concept reset in April or May 2019. That means an early Phoenix image should be read as a stage in development—not as the definitive design Riot merely polished for release.
Why did Phoenix’s original design change?
Riot describes the change as broader than swapping or adjusting clothing. The team discussed Phoenix’s persona, wardrobe, and nationality, then pursued a fresh concept approach. Concept Artist Josh “LOKKEN” Smith developed that approach from Concept Lead Larry “TheBravoRay” Ray’s initial idea. Riot says the earlier Phoenix concept art was destroyed or replaced as part of the reset, so the documented story is one of reconsidering the character’s overall presentation rather than preserving an original design with minor edits.
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This is a well-documented example of iteration, but it should not be generalized into a claim that every Agent went through the same kind of redesign. Riot’s account establishes what happened with Phoenix and describes a wider reset; it does not supply a complete revision history for the roster.
How did VALORANT’s art style develop?
Early style exploration involved more than settling on a look for individual characters. Huang describes trying to build coherence across character art while working with other artists to refine the vision. A separate account from Senior Game Designer Trevor Romleski explains why style mattered alongside the game’s design goals: “The art style of VALORANT was ultimately a very important piece that married a lot of the goals we wanted to achieve with and alongside the gameplay.”
In an interview with Inquirer Esports, Romleski frames the challenge as reconciling an eclectic mix of character abilities and weapons with clear visuals. Players needed to identify opponents, while the game also had to support exciting match moments and run across varied hardware. The art direction therefore had a practical job as well as an expressive one: give characters personality without making the action difficult to read.
What does Riot’s illustration process show?
Principal Illustrator Suke’s account of creating Astra’s key art offers a concrete example of how a finished Agent illustration can emerge from exploration. Suke writes, “Every Agent illustration starts with a ‘thumbnail’ as shown above.” The process moves from quick thumbnail ideas to selected rough sketches and then finished key art.
Those choices take the character’s traits and gameplay role into account. Suke describes considering distinctive features, silhouette, pose, composition, personality, and visual style. Astra’s illustration is one documented example of Riot’s process; it does not prove that every Agent’s art followed exactly the same steps or an unchanged pipeline.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Concept art, key art, and public assets are not the same thing
Concept art records exploration: possible looks and directions considered during development. Finished key art is a more resolved illustration, while in-game models and their visual effects serve the separate demands of play. Keeping those categories distinct helps explain why an early sketch may look unlike a final Agent image without treating either as an error or a definitive portrait.
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Riot’s 2020 closed-beta asset kit made some official character and concept art available for creators to use under the kit’s stated legal terms. It is a public resource, not evidence that Riot has released its entire original art archive. The available material supports a view of VALORANT’s origins as a process of testing, revising, and aligning character identity with gameplay—not a complete visual record of every idea the team explored.
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