New Counter-Strike a GO

Finally, after almost seven years since I put my Deagle aside for good, Valve has announced that they are developing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the sequel (update?) to Counter-Strike: Source. Details are still scant at the moment, but we do know that it’s being targeted for an early 2012 release on PC, XBLA, and PSN.

“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.”

CS: GO, as it’s being labeled, won’t simply be a graphical update to Source. In fact, Valve hasn’t mentioned anything about graphics at all. What we do know is there will be new game modes which is a huge change for a game which has historically only featured team death match. GO will also see its online infrastructure updated with a matchmaking service and leaderboards as well as new characters, weapons, and maps (expect classic maps to return as well).

The game is being developed in conjunction with Hidden Path Entertainment who has been working with Valve to update CS: Source over the years, and will be playable at the upcoming PAX Prime and Eurogamer Expo.