Counter Strike: Global Offensive Confirmed

Valve has officially announced Counter Strike: Global Offensive which is due to release via Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam (for PC and Mac) in early 2012. The game will expand on the team based action gameplay of the original Counter Strike which has been the life of online PC gaming accross the world for more than a decade.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive features new maps, characters and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.

Doug Lombardi at Valve said,

Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999. For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac.

The game will be playable at PAX Prime and London Games Festival later this year and is being developed by Valve in collaboration with Hidden Path Entertainment.