Riot Clarifies Problematic Valorant Champions Shanghai Desks Weren’t From Secretlab
During the Valorant Champions Shanghai tournament, metal desks caused significant technical disruptions by interfering with wireless gaming mice. Multiple players experienced mouse connection drops during matches, with a particularly notable incident during the FUT Esports vs 100 Thieves match where player xeus’s mouse suddenly disconnected mid-match. These wireless interference issues caused multiple tech pauses, disrupting what Riot Games described as their “most important tournament of the year.” To resolve the problem, Riot requested all players immediately switch to wired mice for the remainder of the tournament.
Following the technical issues and subsequent community backlash, confusion arose about the source of the problematic desks. Some community members speculated that sponsor Secretlab had provided the faulty equipment. However, Riot Games released a clarification statement revealing that the desks were custom-built by Riot themselves, not manufactured by Secretlab or any other partner brand. Secretlab also released a statement to distance themselves from the issue. This clarification came after significant community discussion and criticism regarding the tournament’s technical execution.