.@CounterStrike’s community is just insane. Over the last 25 years, we’ve always been the “unwanted” child of @valvesoftware. Valve’s latest release, Deadlock, fully proves this point. “The shooter with TERRORISTS & CTs” isn’t a marketing cash cow for companies. Governments, brands, and even our parents are still looking at our beloved game with disgust in 2024. “CS could harm our image… they’re shooting with guns… kids will become terrorists for sure…” I think we can all agree that we’ve heard it all before. That’s probably why Valve itself doesn’t put that much effort into Counter-Strike anymore. “On paper,” it just shoudln't work in 2024. But hell yeah, it still works. If we look at every other title, we probably have by far the best esports circuit out there. The game itself has been updated and maintained almost entirely by the community over the last 25 years. Leagues, tournaments, maps, game modes, skins—nearly 99% of the custom content in the game is hand-built out of pure love for it. Just look at what the community has created. We’re pulling the best numbers on Twitch, with hundreds of tournaments happening simultaneously every day. The community has made the impossible possible: keeping a game alive and relevant, even without major updates. ESL, BLAST… these are now esports empires. When I look back at what we’ve achieved by believing in our dreams since CS’s release, I couldn’t be prouder. Beyond the core structure of cs: We, as the community, built this game. We overcame being the unwanted child. We made our own history and shaped our destiny. And honestly, I think this is just the beginning. And if you care, @valvesoftware, get your ass back to work and take a lesson from what this community has done for you.