Summary
- Valve has purportedly blocked a Steam release for Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive, a mod for CS:GO that aims to faithfully replicate the aesthetic of Counter-Strike 1.6.
- Classic Offensive has been attempting to secure a Steam release since 2017, but Valve recently retired the CS:GO mod's Steamworks app (apparently without an explanation).
- The Classic Offensive team is disheartened by the rejection but remains hopeful to resolve whatever issues Valve may have with the project.
A highly ambitious Counter-Strike: Global Offensive mod aiming to bring back the "classic feeling" of Counter-Strike 1.6 has hit a major roadblock. After spending nearly eight years in limbo, the Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive mod for CS:GO seems to have been blocked by Valve, leaving both its developers and fans disappointed.
Although CS:GO (now CS2) is widely regarded as one of the best multiplayer first-person shooters on PC, many of its fans yearn for the series' early days, which inadvertently gave rise to the team behind the Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive mod. Having commenced development in 2016, Classic Offensive seeks to recreate the nostalgic feel of Counter-Strike 1.6, complete with classic weapons, physics, audio effects, etc., all within the modern rendition of Valve's Source engine used for CS:GO. The project has existed on ModDB for several years, with regular progress updates and support from the CS:GO modding community. Classic Offensive even made it through Valve’s Steam Greenlight program in 2017.
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Unfortunately, progress on Classic Offensive's Steam release has reached a complete standstill. To explain the situation, the team behind the CS:GO mod recently posted a statement on Twitter, revealing that despite years of effort and compliance with Valve's legal guidelines over the usage of the Counter-Strike IP, Classic Offensive never saw the light of day on Steam. Moreover, the team's communication with Valve apparently ceased in late 2020, and the situation escalated when Classic Offensive was submitted for a build review on October 6, 2024. After weeks of silence, the team received an automated message from Valve declaring that the Steamworks app for Classic Offensive had been retired without explanation.
Valve Reportedly Rejects Classic Offensive Mod for CS:GO in Final Stages of Steam Approval
The lack of feedback was described as a "worse form of a Cease and Desist," and the Classic Offensive team stands frustrated over the sudden halt. Adding to their grievances, the CS:GO mod's developers shared that many Valve employees were aware of the project but provided no indication that their work would ultimately face rejection. Keeping this in mind, the Classic Offensive team felt "required" to inform any modding teams working on Valve-related projects to reconsider their release strategies should they plan to rely solely on Steam as their primary distribution platform.
Thankfully, all hope is not lost for Classic Offensive, as the team behind it will try to get back in touch with Valve and "even companies related to Counter-Strike" to get some positive traction for the CS:GO mod. Valve's apparent reluctance to support Classic Offensive is odd, considering it has always welcomed fan-made projects based on Half-Life, Portal, and many of the company's other IPs. One can only hope Valve and the Classic Offensive team can soon resolve their differences, and the nostalgic CS:GO mod eventually sees a proper Steam release.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- August 21, 2012
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
- Valve
- Publisher(s)
- Valve
- Engine
- Source
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Counter-Strike
WHERE TO PLAY
For over two decades, Counter-Strike has offered an elite competitive experience, one shaped by millions of players from across the globe. And now the next chapter in the CS story is about to begin. This is Counter-Strike 2.
A free upgrade to CS:GO, Counter-Strike 2 marks the largest technical leap in Counter-Strike’s history. Built on the Source 2 engine, Counter-Strike 2 is modernized with realistic physically-based rendering, state of the art networking, and upgraded Community Workshop tools.
