Summary

Valve has allegedly blocked a Steam release for Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive, a mod for CS:GO that endeavors to faithfully replicate the style of Counter-Strike 1.6.

Classic Offensive has been trying to gain a Steam release since 2017 but recently faced a setback when Valve retired the CS:GO mod’s Steamworks app without providing a reason. The team behind Classic Offensive is disappointed but remains hopeful to address whatever concerns Valve has regarding the project.

This ambitious mod, developed to bring back the classic vibe of Counter-Strike 1.6, has faced numerous challenges over the years. Although CS:GO is highly regarded in the gaming community, many players long for the earlier iterations of the game, which inspired the creation of this mod. Since its inception in 2016, the project has received support from the modding community and even passed Valve’s Steam Greenlight program in 2017.

However, the approval for its Steam release has reached a deadlock, as the team recently revealed on Twitter that despite adhering to Valve’s legal guidelines for using the Counter-Strike intellectual property, the mod never launched on Steam. In an automated message sent after weeks of silence, Valve stated that the Steamworks app for Classic Offensive had been retired without any explanation.

The developers expressed frustration over the lack of feedback from Valve, believing it to be akin to a silent cease and desist. Furthermore, many Valve employees were aware of the project but gave no indication that it would be ultimately rejected.

Despite these challenges, the team intends to reconnect with Valve and other companies related to Counter-Strike in hopes of resuming progress on the mod’s release. It remains to be seen whether Valve will support this nostalgic endeavor, as they have welcomed fan-made projects based on their other franchises like Half-Life and Portal.