Counter-Strike fans have taken notice of Valve’s near-total absence at the BLAST Paris CS:GO Major 2023, and they’re disappointed, to say the least.
Barring a smattering of Twitter posts throughout the event, the CS:GO publishers were missing in action. With fans eager to get a taste of CS2, Valve’s “disappointing” no-show has rubbed some gamers the wrong way.
The community amassed in a Reddit thread to tear the Counter-Strike devs apart with torches and pitchforks following the tournament’s conclusion on May 21. While many were disappointed and frustrated, others suggested this was simply another disappointing absence in a long line of disappointments from Valve—it’s nothing new, they say.
Valve’s hands-off approach has garnered them a long-standing reputation as the absentee parent of gaming. Just recently even, the CS:GO devs were left in the dust by CS2 leaks, with the fandom building hype without Valve saying a word.
Most players are now used to Valve’s radio silence and while it’s clearly an annoyance for multitudes of eager gamers, others actually said in the May 21 thread that they prefer the quieter approach. Several community members even suggested they’d still buy any Valve title, purely based on their track record, so they aren’t surprised the devs do very little.
Blizzard’s attempt at PvE copped strays in the same thread, with players comparing the industry giants. The hyped, but failed release seems to be the worse road, they said, and fans are happy Valve doesn’t fail to deliver upon built-up promises.
While their silence was expected, it’s still disappointing. As CS2’s release looms, one word from developers at the BLAST-hosted Paris Major—the last CS:GO event of its kind—would’ve likely sent the fandom into a frenzy. Valve might let the title speak for itself, but no information still seems to have upset the community.
What any luck, we’ll hear more about CS2 in the next few weeks. The original ‘Summer 2023’ date still stands, with summer in the northern hemisphere starting in June and ending in September, so we better buckle up for a hype-filled few months.
Dot Esports reached out to Valve for comment on the fan outcry.
