Valorant: Lead of character design, Ryan “Morello” Scott, to part ways with Riot Games

Today is quite a sad day for the Valorant and the League of Legends communities. Riot Games’ Lead of Character Design, Ryan Morello Scott, has decided to part ways with the organization.

Morello had been a part of the Riot devs family for over ten years. He was why the publishers’ IPs like League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, and Valorant have so many interesting and memorable characters.

So him parting ways with Riot is almost like the end of an era. Morello will not only be known for his character designs, but also how open he was with the rest of the Riot community.

He did an incredible job of helping Valorant players connect with the game. The designer’s transparency in talking about the various problems with the shooter is something we have not seen any other developer do.

Morello was instrumental in League of Legends and Valorant

League of Legends’ character design and lore building are some of the game’s best features, and Morello was behind much of it. For Valorant, he has already given the game a much-needed push in the right direction in terms of design and character personality.

Hey folks. Wanted to let everyone know that I'll be leaving Riot after over 10 pretty damn awesome years. I can't say what I'm doing next (yet), but suffice to say it's one of the only things that could have pulled me away from my home here at Riot. (1/3)

— Morello (@RiotMorello) October 8, 2020

In a three-parter farewell tweet, Morello wrote:

“Hey folks. Wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be leaving Riot after over 10 pretty damn awesome years. I can’t say what I’m doing next (yet), but suffice to say it’s one of the only things that could have pulled me away from my home here at Riot.”

He continued:

“The obvious is that I won’t be able to answer your questions or help with VALORANT these days. But you’re in good hands - @RiotZiegler @Max_Grossman @rycoux @SalGarozzo and @Evergreenily are still active here to help on the design side. Hit them up. Leaving is bittersweet. On one hand, I’m really excited for the next stage of design and life, but on the other, I’ll miss the team and community. It’s been a great ride. Thanks to everyone for their love of the game, support, and passion. I’ll see you out here again. Much love.”

Many might find something fishy behind Morello suddenly leaving mere months after Valorant’s release. But in a tweet comment, he confirmed that he wanted to leave because, after ten years, it was finally time for him to move on.

No grassy knoll, I just been at the company 10 years and get to work on my dream game, after I successfully helped launch a game. Pretty standard dev fare.

— Morello (@RiotMorello) October 8, 2020