What awaits us after the first CS2 Major? Potential announcements and changes.
Last year, during the last CS:GO Major, many were anticipating announcements about the open beta test of CS2, Gabe Newell’s appearance on stage in Paris, and other interesting announcements. As we know, apart from the name of the tournament winner in France, we didn’t learn anything, and all the expected announcements came later, and some of them we still haven’t seen. No official information or rumors about any announcements after the event in Copenhagen arose, but with VALVE, nothing can be said for certain. Many things have been awaited by the community for quite some time, some of them so long that they have even stopped asking developers such questions. Everything that will be written below is a little fantasy, but based on various insights, leaks, and conversations within the community.
Release of the long-awaited operation.
The last operation in CS:GO ended more than two years ago and started in September 2021. The content from this operation can hardly be called fresh; investors have long since disposed of their stocks and are saving their savings for new items. With the release of CS2, new players have been added to the game who have no idea how diverse and interesting the game was during operations. In the last six months, there have been so many speculated release dates for new operations that the community has simply stopped believing in its release. As we know, VALVE likes to make loud announcements at the most unexpected moments, and it’s hard to imagine a more perfect scenario than the end of the first CS2 Major. All these delays with the release of stickers and Pick’em may suggest that the developers were busy not only with content for the PGL Copenhagen Major.
Changes in the competitive map pool.
Pro players have long been waiting for such changes. Moreover, the changes may not only involve replacing one map with another. There have long been rumors that the map pool could be increased to 9 maps, and the developers have such an opportunity. Not all professionals, especially tier-1 level, advocate for such changes. There are hardly any teams on the competitive scene that play all 7 maps, and the need to prepare at least two more could become a serious problem.
Also, in the current map pool, there are many outdated maps that need reworking. Expectations for when Mirage will be removed lasted so long that it managed to become beloved again by most of the community. Until the current Major, Inferno was not played at the tier-1 level at all, but now this map is one of the most popular at the tournament. There are many legendary maps lying on the shelves of the developers, waiting for their time. Each of them has enough reasons why they have not yet entered the competitive mode, but almost all of them are solvable. The same Tuscan was hardly added to the game after 10 years of absence just for players’ nostalgic memories. Much will become clear after today’s show match between ECSTATIC and Team Denmark. This match could be played on a potentially new map or on one that will subsequently be removed.
Adding a new type of weapon to the game.
Since we’ve touched on the subject of show matches, we can also speculate about adding new content to the game. The new Source 2 engine, for which everyone was forcibly forced to switch to the new version of the game, opens up many more possibilities. Adding some weapon or other useful item has become much easier and does not require much effort. It is not excluded that during the exhibition match, the developers will decide to diversify the game for the sake of the show and try to add something interesting. If the experiments prove successful, then it is quite possible that they will be added to the game later. It’s hardly worth talking about the competitive mode, but who knows, it’s VALVE after all.
For example, adding a medical syringe, which has long been available in other game modes, is quite possible in the competitive mode. In many similar shooters, the ability to restore some health is quite common. There used to be rumors about adding mines or special grenade stretches to have the ability to detect opponents before direct contact. If the previous two points sound quite adventurous, then the appearance of new assault rifles, sniper rifles, or pistols is quite possible. And they don’t necessarily have to be very useful. It is not excluded that this will be done only to diversify the gameplay for ordinary users.
Changes in the game economy.
The biggest problem in competitive play after switching to MR12 was the economy. The number of eco rounds has noticeably decreased, and the rewards for kills, victory, or defeat in a round and bonuses for series of lost rounds have not changed. Because of this, the value of pistol rounds has increased significantly, and winning the game after two lost pistol rounds has become practically impossible. Each of the pro players raises this issue, hoping that there will be some changes by the first Major. No corrections to the economy have been made, so it is not excluded that this will be done after the tournament in Denmark.
Gabe Newell
The appearance of the main figure of VALVE at their own tournaments is an extremely rare phenomenon. Before this, Gabe Newell had never attended events related to Counter-Strike, but he appeared at the first The International for Dota 2. Fans of the VALVE shooter have long been waiting for the appearance of this legend and talk about it almost every Major. The first Major for CS2 is the best place for this, and if it doesn’t happen tonight, then most likely, fans of CS2 will never be lucky enough to see Gabe.
There is very little time left before the start of the last game day at PGL CS2 Copenhagen Major 2024. Of course, our fantasies will eventually come true, but it would be very symbolic to hear one of these pieces of news tonight.