Everything unanswered.

How did you know my skins before I said anything?

That part stays private for two non-negotiable reasons: Riot's Boundary (I gave my word not to popularize methods to hundreds of thousands of players) and The Security Reality (99% of tricks floating around comments are straight-up spyware designed to steal your login tokens, leak passwords, and lock your PC out of Valorant forever). Deleting secret talk is protection, not gatekeeping. What I see: nothing on your account, just equipped cosmetics.

Are you cheating?

No. Nothing about this touches Vanguard or your account, and Riot is aware of the project and approved it. If this were cheating the project would not exist publicly with a Riot support ticket attached to it.

Why didn't you just explain yourself in the game?

Magicians don't explain the trick after they're done, that's what makes it work. But I don't want to leave anyone thinking something happened to their account. That is why this page exists.

Is any information about me saved anywhere?

No. When trolling, nothing is logged about you. I don't care what skins you have beyond your reaction in that moment. You are not in any database. I moved on as soon as the game ended.

Will there be a Part 2?

When the database hits 1000 owners. Anyone who gets an RGB after the video drops can still submit their story, every entry moves that goal closer. Future collabs on Part 2 are open to any creator who wants to cover it at that point.

Did Riot know about this before the video went out?

Yes. Riot Support was contacted before publishing anything, and I even visited Riot HQ in Los Angeles because of this and explained the project in person. The response confirmed that talking about the project and the findings is fine. The method used to find owners stays unnamed, that was the one condition, and it stays that way. Ticket 123260509 if anyone from Riot wants to verify. Covers both cuts, MrLowlander's out now, mine still coming.

How did you get MrLowlander involved?

Through Geunix, a mutual creator known for piano trickshot videos made for MrLowlander's channel. I met him in a game, added him on Discord, and he brought the idea forward. MrLowlander agreed the same day. 3 years of data and 440+ real stories are hard to turn down.

Is MrLowlander's video the only one, or is there more coming?

His is the first cut, out now. Mine's a separate video, longer and more in-depth, that was the deal from the start. His just takes way less time to put together than mine does.

What happens after I submit?

Your entry goes into the database. If the method you describe is something I want to follow up on, I may reach out on Discord, usually just for clarification.

What if my story doesn't match the usual methods?

That makes it more valuable, not less. The unusual entries are exactly what I want. If something doesn't fit a category, write it under "Other", I will read it properly and probably follow up.

Can you have the buddy on more than one gun?

Yes. There are entries in the database where owners have it on two weapons, Vandal and Phantom being the most common combo. Rare but documented. If you have it on multiple guns, mention that in the form.

Is my submission anonymous?

Yes. Your in-game name is stored only to prevent duplicate entries, it never appears in any published findings. Everything in the research output is aggregated. Nothing identifiable ever gets shared.

Can Riot take it away?

There are accounts in the data of this happening, usually following serious behavioral issues. Nothing officially confirmed by Riot, but the pattern exists. Being the kind of player who earned it in the first place is probably the best insurance.

Who is actually behind this?

Hi, I'm Mud, also known as RGBDataCollector in Valorant. Previously Community and Social Media Manager at SteelSeries and 3D Aim Trainer. This project started at 19, not a studio, not a team. One person, a spreadsheet, and a lot of games played.

What stops you from just making the numbers up?

Some of the 550+ people approached in real lobbies didn't answer or opted out. The methodology is consistent, same two questions, every conversation, over years. That is not something you fake at scale.

Has Riot done anything to stop this?

There were complications, but not the kind that means Riot is against this. A personal TikTok got banned twice, for two different reasons. The first time, it got caught in a Riot ban wave targeting cheat-selling content, one video mistaken for cheat promotion. The second time, a trailer for the video went up, barely 2.5K views, and the account was banned almost instantly, the day before the Riot HQ visit. No clear reason given for that one. Neither ban was a targeted action against the project. Every other account, Discord, X, Twitch, YouTube, stayed untouched the whole time. Riot Support has since confirmed the research is fine to publish, and an application for the Valorant Partner Program is in as of now.

What does this website want from me?

Nothing, if you just want to read. If you have an RGB, the form is there. If you want to follow what comes next, the socials are there. Treat this like a Wikipedia article that actually has primary sources.

Why would anyone spend 3 years doing this for free?

In 2023 Keeoh posted a video saying there was nothing left to cover in Valorant. I didn't feel like that was true. The Riot Gun Buddy had zero real data, only recycled community guesses and myths. The access and the persistence to go get actual answers were there. So the project started. Three conversations became over 550+, and here we are.

Does your research reveal a guaranteed way to get a Riot Gun Buddy?

No. That is not the goal of this project either. You cannot control if a developer is in your lobby. What the data shows is what separates people who got one from people who didn't, and that part is in your control.

Is there anything specific players do that gets them chosen?

Being positive. Communicating. Making the lobby feel worth playing in. Not performing it for the chance of getting noticed, just actually being that way. That pattern shows up consistently across over 440+ entries in the database.

Which game mode gives the best chance of being in a lobby with a Rioter?

Swiftplay comes out on top, roughly a third of in-game encounters in the data. Not ranked. Not competitive. The mode where people play loosely. Whether that means Rioters prefer it or it's just where the most games happen, the data doesn't say why, only what.

If I've been toxic before does that permanently hurt my chances?

Based on the data, no. It's about how you show up in the moment a developer is watching. A few toxic players still received one. That said, it's not a reliable path. The consistent pattern is kindness, not behavior history.

Can I use the findings from this project in my own video?

Yes. Link the website, credit the project and my name, "Mud aka RGB Data Collector", and reference everything freely. The verified milestones are published here, but the raw research logs stay private. All I care about is that rgbproject.xyz stays the central reference point for anything RGB related. Reach out before you post though, there might be more insights I can hand over to help cover it properly.

How should I credit this project?

Refer to the website and my name, "Mud aka RGB Data Collector". That's it, the published stats are documented here. Reach out before you post though, there might be more insights I can hand over to help cover it properly.

Can I reach out to interview the person behind this?

Yes. Discord is the fastest way to reach me and I'm open to it. If you want to collab on a future video, especially anything related to Part 2 when the database hits 1000, ping me on the server.

What is a Riot Gun Buddy and why does everyone care about it?

A gun buddy - officially named the Fist Bump Buddy by Riot - that cannot be bought, earned through the battle pass, or unlocked by any in-game system. Riot Games developers gift it personally to players they encounter in live matches, on their terms, with no announcement and no explanation owed to anyone. That is the whole mystery. Nobody outside Riot has ever officially explained how it works.

How is this different from any other item you can buy in Valorant?

Every other item has a price. A store rotation. A battle pass tier. An event unlock. This one has none of those. There is no path to it. You either get chosen or you don't.

Is there any way to buy or trade for one?

Officially, no. It cannot be traded, gifted through the store, or obtained through any transaction, there is no mechanism in the game that allows it. Digging around for this project though, undocumented corners turned up too, people who claim to be selling one outside any official channel. Not verified, not recognized, and genuinely risky: real chance of getting banned, real chance of losing your money. That side of it isn't fully mapped yet, it's its own thread for the main video.

Has Riot Player Support already been contacted about this before publishing?

Yes, twice over. Riot Support, ticket 123260509, reviewed it and confirmed it's acceptable to publish. Separately, Trevor, lead community manager, who I've been in contact with over Twitter, also gave the okay to post. Neither is vouching for the data itself, they're not confirming any of the findings as fact, just confirming there's no issue with putting the content out. The specific method used to identify RGB owners stays unnamed per that conversation, and it does, always.

What am I asking from Riot, or Rioters, if anything?

An interview. That's it. I reached out to Riot's media team, no response. An insider contact told me some people internally were a little annoyed the project existed without prior notice, which I understand. I did get to walk through Riot HQ, but there wasn't enough time on that visit to sit down and actually ask the real questions, and Trevor, who gave the tour, isn't the person responsible for handing RGBs out anyway. So the ask stands: if any Rioter, developer, writer, community team, anyone with the actual power to give the RGBs and willing to sit down and talk about the buddy from their side, that conversation goes straight into Part 2. My Discord is open. That would change the next video significantly.

Isn't there a safe shortcut to do this that won't get me banned?

There are no safe shortcuts :)) Remember the rule: if you're not paying for the product, you are the product. Random methods claiming to bypass Vanguard are honeytraps designed to harvest your login credentials and hardware tokens. Trusting strangers in comments doesn't get you cool reactions - it steals your Riot login tokens, leaks your passwords, and permanently wipes your account.

Can I as a Rioter reward you with an RGB after the project?

Funny you ask. I've thought about this. If we're negotiating, ideally 20 Riot Gun Buddies, one for each gun, since I am the Riot Gun Buddy Data Collector after all :DD. But realistically the two I'd actually want are the ones that have never been released to anyone, Lightning Kicks and Justice Served. Both sitting in the game files, completely unobtainable. If I could get either, I'd be the first documented person to own one. Riot, if you're reading this, you know where to find me (on my Discord), or in-game as RGBDataCollector #Knows.

How do I know my submission was actually received?

You get a confirmation at the end of the form. If you didn't see one, something may have gone wrong, ping me on the Discord server and I will check.

Can I update or fix something I already submitted?

Yes. Ping me on the Discord server with your in-game name and what needs to change. I will sort it.

What if I accidentally submitted twice?

I can see that on my end and will remove the duplicate. Nothing to do on your side.

Do you personally own a Riot Gun Buddy?

No. Four separate times across the project a Riot developer offered me one. I said no every time. Accepting it mid-project would have compromised what the whole thing was about. The research was supposed to be about understanding how others got it, not about me getting one on the side.

Why would you turn one down if someone offered it?

If it ever comes it should be because 3 years of work and 550+ conversations earned it. Not because someone felt generous in a lobby while the spreadsheet was open. That distinction matters.

Does your data show any cases where someone toxic before still received one?

Yes, a few. Genuinely disappointing entries. But it is not a reliable path, it is the exception and not the rule. The consistent pattern across hundreds of entries is kindness, not behavior history.

Is it possible to receive one if your account has previous warnings or bans?

Yes. Riot developers are not looking at your account history before deciding, they are watching how you play in that game, in that moment. It's about how you show up now.

Who is RGBDataCollector?

Hi, I'm Mud, short for Mudxiej. I started this at 19. Previously Community and Social Media Manager at SteelSeries and 3D Aim Trainer. Games are meant to be fun, I never focused on rank even when I worked at an aim training company. This is what pushes me in the same direction as the whole project: play for the fun of it, not the results.

How did you come up with the name RGBDataCollector?

Couldn't put "Riot" in the name since that's reserved for Riot employees. So RGB Data Collector it was. The bonus: when someone in a lobby asks what RGB stands for, I tell them I work at an LED company checking lumen compliance on strip lights. Simple, but it works when I don't want to explain the whole thing mid-game.

What is the most interesting or unexpected story in the database?

A girl matched with someone on a dating app. Went on a date. He was a Riot developer, she didn't know that going in. Things didn't really click, but before they went their separate ways he gave her the Riot Gun Buddy. She started ghosting him after. Actual in-game conversation.

Can I help with the project?

With the RGB Project, if you know someone who has a Riot Gun Buddy, send them to the form. Every entry counts. With the LOADOUT Project, join the Discord for info on how to get involved when that opens up.