Riot Clarifies Secretlab Not Behind Desk Issues at Valorant Champions Shanghai

Riot Games has clarified that sponsor Secretlab did not provide the desks that caused wireless mouse interference at Valorant Champions Shanghai.

The company said the custom metal desks were fabricated by Riot for the event and have since been replaced.

"The desks currently being used at Champions were custom fabricated by Riot for the event," Riot said in a statement.

"They were not manufactured, supplied, or sponsored by Secretlab."

The clarification came after community speculation linked the technical issues to Secretlab, which prompted the gaming desk and chair manufacturer to state it was not the desk partner for the tournament.

"We’ve seen some comments linking our desks to the issues players faced on stage," Secretlab said on social media.

"While we support Champions with our chairs, we are currently not the desk partner of the Valorant Champions Tour."

Riot had previously asked players to use wired mice as a stopgap measure after the metal desks caused repeated wireless connection drops, leading to technical pauses.

"Until then, we are asking all players to use a wired mouse connection to minimize further disruption, which many players have already opted to do," Riot said.

The company acknowledged the repeated interference had interrupted matches and said the experience had not met its standards for players or fans.

The issue became particularly consequential during round two of Split in the series between FUT Esports and 100 Thieves.

FUT player Yusuf "xeus" Doğan Gözgen could not fire his weapon during a 2v1 situation, and the round was not replayed at the time.

Riot later concluded that the round should have been rolled back and accepted responsibility for the error.

It nevertheless decided the match result would stand, citing the competing implications of overturning a win by a team that played under the same conditions.

100 Thieves won the series 2-0 and advanced to the playoffs, while FUT faced a lower-bracket match.

Leo Faria, head of Valorant esports, revealed that new desk tops were installed ahead of matches on October 2.

Riot then allowed players to return to using wireless mice, and Faria confirmed no mouse issues have been reported since the replacement, though promised that Riot is still monitoring the situation closely.

The workaround had a competitive cost, as Riot noted peripheral settings are a significant part of how players perform and that muscle memory matters.

The company described the measure as imperfect, while presenting it as the best available option to reduce further interruptions.

Riot said it would continue working to address the interference and apply tournament rules objectively and transparently.

Desk design has also been part of Riot’s event operations elsewhere: at Masters London, desks were altered with a lip and light bars in response to concerns about clutch "cheating."

Redington Cybersport reported in October that Riot asked players to use wired mice as a stopgap while planning to replace the desks.