Valve has made a lot of changes to Steam this week, which point to either CSGO Source 2, or a full-blown Counter-Strike 2 release date. While it seems clear that something is going on with the seminal multiplayer FPS game – owing to new files and executables appearing online named ‘CS2’ – we still don’t know precisely what the Counter-Strike team has up its special forces sleeves. A new conspiracy theory however, based on Steam sales, the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC), and, um, The Office, makes a startling kind of sense.
So we’ve already seen Valve add new files to the CSGO backend that signal the arrival of at least something new, be it a conversion of Global Offensive to Source 2, or a complete Counter-Strike 2. There is also the possibility that CSGO Source 2 will simply be rebranded to CS2.
One theory however seems adamant that whatever Valve is cooking up, it will be released or revealed on either March 23 or 24. Posting via its official Twitter account, Counter-Strike skins site CSMoney observes a few interesting – or at least, very entertaining – patterns.
First of all, the CSGO Twitter account has recently replied to three tweets from either fans or Counter-Strike streamers who have referenced Source 2. In each of these replies, the CSGO account simply shares a GIF from the American version of The Office.
Seems harmless enough, right? Well, a quick look on Wikipedia suggests that the very first episode of The Office was broadcast on March 24, 2005. Have you got your tin-foil hat on nice and secure? Good, then we’ll continue.
CSMoney then observes that the original launch date for the famous CSGO map ‘de_office’ was March 23, 2012. The site also points to the fact that the Source 2 engine was first announced at GDC – this year’s GDC just so happens to start next week, and concludes on, you guessed it, March 24.
Finally, the Steam spring sale is now on, at least until next week when it finishes on March 23. As CSMoney speculates, what better way to wrap up the Steam spring sale than announcing CSGO Source 2?
So we have Valve sharing GIFs from a show called The Office, which launched on March 24. CSGO itself features a map named after an office, which was released March 23.
Source 2 meanwhile was unveiled at a show which this year will conclude on March 24. And it all ties up with the end of the Steam sale on March 23. Coincidence? Mere chance? Yes. Maybe. But who knows? Valve works in mysterious ways. We’ll just have to keep watching the skies, at least until the end of next week.
Whatever happens, you’ll want the best CSGO crosshairs. You can also plug away at those CSGO ranks thanks to our complete guide, or maybe remind yourself of all the CSGO console commands, before CS2 arrives in full.