The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive beta has been delayed due to feedback from professional Counter-Strike players. While the closed beta was supposed to start sometime last month, it appears that a few CS veterans that have been testing the client behind closed doors convinced Valve that a delay was necessary.
While specific details about the complaints are unknown, Valve did reveal that two of the pro CS players were Kyle “Ksharp” Miller and Ronald “Rambo” Kim – two names that probably ring a bell with anyone that has kept up with the competitive FPS scene.
Of course, one might wonder why CS pros have had a chance to hop in on the action and not the general public. Valve’s Chet Faliszek told Eurogamer that the reason was simple, if not obvious: they are professionals.
They gave us a lot of feedback on things we should get in the game before we release it, otherwise we’re going to be getting a lot of bug reports or a lot of feedback and it would just be redundant.
To me, it looks as if Valve is focusing on making CS:GO a shooter based on competitive, balanced gameplay. While Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 will certainly sell well, it’s unlikely that they will achieve the competitive scene that Counter-Strike has held on to all these years. If Valve can successfully piggyback onto that with a new CS game, they could easily champion a competitive FPS renaissance.
No word on when the closed beta might start. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is scheduled to launch sometime in 2012.
