Valve has announced that it is releasing a new version of their popular game, Counter-Strike, called Counter-Strike 2 which uses the new Source 2 engine. Beta testing has already begun, and the full game is expected to launch in the summer. Comparisons are being drawn between this release and a recent release from Blizzard, Overwatch 2. Both games are highly popular, competitive, and live-service style games that put emphasis on cosmetics for monetisation, with highly dedicated communities. However, the biggest similarity between the two games is that both sequels retroactively replace their predecessors, forcing everyone to upgrade to the sequel whether they want to or not. Counter-Strike 2 seems to be in a position to succeed in all the ways that Overwatch 2 failed due to its development team not falling into the trap of making major changes to the team composition, hero balance, strategy or maps. Team sizes are not being changed in Counter-Strike 2 and the gameplay, which is the fast, tactical FPS action, remains intact.
Another key differentiator for Counter-Strike 2 is its monetisation systems. Whereas Overwatch 2 has been criticised for using a battle pass system which is not friendly to non-paying players, Counter-Strike 2’s monetisation system revolves solely around skins, with no reward system tied to progression. In-game stores for cosmetics have long been an aspect of the videogame industry, but these systems have come under criticism for being exploitative, due to the way they push players towards making in-game purchases that aren’t relevant to the core game. For Counter-Strike 2, this is less of a problem as the game inherently revolves less on characters with abilities and more on player skill. By offering players equal footing within each game, there is less need for reward systems based on progression, with the gameplay being enough in itself to keep players engaged.
In terms of messaging, Valve has managed to surprise players with the announcement of Counter-Strike 2 close to the beta launch date, while Overwatch 2 was hyped up with many promises but has been slow to release new content. This has led to concerns around how Overwatch 2 might be trying to get players to spend more money on the game by making it difficult for non-paying players to unlock new heroes. Counter-Strike 2’s message is much clearer: it will run and look better than its predecessor. If the developer keeps to their promise of preserving the game’s core gameplay while offering an improved gaming experience, Counter-Strike 2 is likely to continue its reign as a top contender in the competitive shooter genre.
