Very believable rumours about a sequel to Counter-Strike have been making the rounds for months, but the closest we've come to an official statement from Valve was the trademarks a few days ago...until now.
Valve has officially unveiled what's simply called Counter-Strike 2. Not that we're told much about it besides that it'll be an "overhaul to every system, every piece of content, and every part" of the original and the biggest technical leap in the franchise's history thanks to Valve's Source 2 engine. Three of these upgrades are highlighted in the videos below: sub-tick technology, dynamic and volumetric smoke, and definitely not least visual upgrades of all maps and even complete overhauls of some.
All of this looks and sounds incredible, so it's very exciting that some of you might be able to play an early version of the game today. A limited test has just started, so check your notifications in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It's worth mentioning that Valve selects players by recent playtime on the official servers, trust factor, Steam account standing and many other factors, so you might not be one of the lucky ones that get an invite to this first wave.
Not that you'll have to wait long either way. Counter-Strike 2 is set to launch as a free upgrade this summer. The fact that it's an upgrade also means you'll get to keep all of your weapon finishes, stickers, and everything else, and all of them will obviously also look, sound and feel better. Expect to learn even more detailed information about all of this in the coming months.
How does this sound and look so far?