On June 7, Team Vitality shocked the VALORANT community by announcing the tragic death of pro player Karel “Twisten” Aenbrener, 19 years old. But despite their sorrow, the community is already planning ways to remember the gamer and is hopeful Riot Games will pay attention.
Many of the ideas revolve around the iconic Shorty sidearm, and for good reason. Back in February, Twisten himself promised to donate 25 euros to charity every time someone landed a kill with the Shorty at the VCT LOCK//IN tournament. Many pro players at the tournament made the extra effort to use the Shorty and the event ended with 58 total Shorty kills, led by DRX’s BuZz, who notched seven.
The VCT LOCK//IN tournament was also where Twisten opened up to the community regarding his mental health struggles, posting a message about his lengthy battle with depression and self-harm after showing up late to the Vitality press conference following a loss to Leviatán. So soon after his passing, the community is already working toward honoring him and his efforts.
Two members of the EMEA VCT broadcast team, Lothar and RyanCentral, posted touching ideas on Twitter in hopes of honoring the young player they had the privilege of watching play live. Lothar suggested a Shorty skin that would honor Twisten, one with his familiar cat ears, with profits going to “charity and mental health institutions.” Riot has used skins and bundles in VALORANT to raise money for charity in the past, most notably with its Give Back bundles.
Analyst RyanCentral suggested a community-wide continuation of Twisten’s Shorty-kills-for-charity campaign, one that would continue across multiple international events. The EMEA analyst said he is actively working on getting this endeavor set up and running.
In addition to these honorable acts, Riot will almost certainly be paying tribute to Twisten at both upcoming international events in Masters Tokyo and Champions 2023.