Whoa, a new Counter-Strike game will be coming out? It looks like that is the case. The ESEA’s Facebook Page made an announcement stating “Counter Strike: Global Operation… More info tomorrow!” Since then, Valve has confirmed this, and Craig Levine from ESEANews.net has started a new AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit, stating that he was working to help develop the game.
Counter-Strike has long been one of the most popular games online, and one of the strongest eSports titles. Counter-Strike: Source was released quite a while ago and has also had a long and popular run, so it shouldn’t be too surprising to hear that Valve is looking to release another game in the well loved series.
“Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999,” said Doug Lombardi at Valve. “For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS’ award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac.”
The game will be released in early 2012 on Steam (as well as the PSN and XBLA). According to Valve, it will feature “new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.”
