TenZ Addresses Outrage over Mouse Reveal
TenZ is perhaps the most successful VALORANT pro. The Sentinels player was the first to reach Radiant during VALORANT’s closed beta and has achieved lasting fame in the VALORANT community. He has 1.3 million followers on X.com, 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube and 3.7 million followers on Twitch. With such a passionate fanbase, it’s only natural that TenZ would strive to expand his brand. TenZ recently announced a new project – a custom mouse for fans to enjoy.
The launch predictably garnered significant hype, but it wasn’t long before fans realized something was off with the project. Today we cover the controversy surrounding the TenZ Secret Mouse launch, and how TenZ is responding to the debacle.
What is the TenZ Secret Mouse?
The TenZ Secret Mouse is a yet-to-be-released custom mouse designed by VALORANT’s GOAT, TenZ and released in collaboration with esports marketing agency Prodigy Agency. The Sentinels-signed star player is personally involved in the design and development process. Along with TenZ, Prodigy Agency represents legends such as ZywOo, Scream and Kaydop.TenZ announced the mouse in a Twitter post on November 25th, accompanied by a trailer video, list of specs and link to preorder. The mouse debuted in a limited supply of 20,000, which fans could purchase on the tenz.gg website.
Tenz
What is the controversy around the TenZ Secret Mouse?
While fans were excited about the launch, they reasonably expected to see an example of the product they were buying. The original posts announcing the TenZ Secret Mouse included specs, instructions to order and a link to purchase for 189.00 USD. One notable facet was missing – an actual prototype of the mouse was nowhere to be found. In the promotional video, TenZ (rather comically) uses a yo-yo and an imaginary mouse made of neon visual effects as a highlight reel plays. Although TenZ has some impressive yo-yo skills, even the most die-hard fans wanted to see the mouse prototype before investing in its significant cost.
Because of this promotion choice, the announcement received extremely mixed reactions on X.com. Fans and critics alike were upset at the lack of transparency surrounding the mouse’s development process and its hefty price. Buyers were unclear on where the project stood and what mouse they would receive, and X.com was in uproar.
How has TenZ addressed the situation?
TenZ addressed the issue on his X.com account with an in-depth post exploring the situation. He states within the post that he “completely understand[s] the negative comments that are being made towards the project, and everything is completely warranted.” TenZ explains that the project’s extreme ambition led to the poor management decision to attempt to sell the mouse without a finalized shape – specifically, he says “looking back at it now, I know it was a stretch to attempt to sell a mouse that had no finalized shape, specs, or weight.” The mouse’s preorders are currently frozen, with the website changing to “Preorders coming soon!” TenZ’s management team has contacted customers who have already ordered, explaining that they can either continue their order or refund it.
Tenz
TenZ also announced that he is working with gaming gear experts such as @hausgameZ_ and @pzogel to refine the mouse and published a graphic of its early prototype design. The image depicts mouse dimensions and an expected weight of 50g, 15g less than previously expected. He also deleted a previous post indicating the mouse’s specs – while the reason for the post’s removal is unclear, it may signal that the mouse’s specs could change as the design evolves through a prototyping stage.
The future of the TenZ Secret mouse is uncertain. Fans received TenZ’s apology with a generally positive perspective. User @ddoubledom1 replied, “Owning up to the mistakes is a class act. Ultimately just was confused bc people were buying a mouse that was still being designed off of specs. But posting a prototype is a good step in the right direction.” Another fan @AerithReborn responded “I'm happy you took the criticism in stride, my main critique was about not being to see the mouse shape so thank you for responding so promptly.” Only time will tell how this event will shape the mouse’s sales and marketing performance.
Fans can find updates on the TenZ secret mouse on X.com and TenZ’s discord.
