This was certainly not the announcement most people expected Valve to make. The long streak of rumors were true as Valve today announced Counter Strike: Global Offensive for an early 2012 release on XBLA, PSN, PC and Mac.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive is set to feature new maps, weapons, characters and an updated version of classic Counter Strike content. No trailer or screens were released with the announcement, but it won’t be long before we get some as the game will be playable at PAX Prime and Eurogamer Expo 2011.
“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,” Valve spokesman Doug Lombardi said in today’s announcement. “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.”
I’m not the biggest fan of Counter Strike, though I did find it quite enjoyable a few years back. I’m more interested in seeing the growth of the series. Valve has come along was since they launched Counter Strike in 1999 and I’m eager to see how the game will go in 2012.
Go check out the Counter Strike: Global Offensive listing on Steam now.
