CSGO is a game that had held its own against the test of time. PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS had a short but glorious rule as the most played game on Steam, before it was dethroned by CSGO. Both CSGO and DOTA 2 had seen some growth during the days of the lockdown, but have all returned to their usual numbers as people had to go back to work (and school).
CSGO has definitely seen better days, but Valve’s updates to the trading scene as well as the reluctance to address the abundance of hackers in the game has all but killed the game’s growth. Most players have suggested that only a new operation can bring CSGO back from the dead. As it happens, there might be come truth in their words.
A Dutch CSGO skin maker and level designer (before you ask, nope, he doesn’t for Valve – he’s an independent content creator for the game) and a Twitter user called “Hollandje97” has come across a major change in CSGO’s files on Steamdb.
There has been a major modification to the game’s assets, which means that new assets have likely been added. Considering how “static” CSGO is as an FPS game (that is, one which does not have an actively evolving meta), addition of new assets mean only one thing – a new operation is coming. For anyone who has been living under a rock, Steamdb helps you view the details about all the games listed on Steam currently.
CSGO had received Operation Shattered Web in November 2019. The operation had continued till March 2020 – lasting for a period of almost 5 months. Before the operation dropped, the game had received similar “internal” updates to its build (that is, before the update was shipped to the main client). It doesn’t require Sherlock Holmes to deduce that the changelog codes are extremely similar – meaning that a new operation might be coming soon.
It’s yet to be assessed when the new operation will be announced (if it exists, that is). But if the leak has any amount of truth to it – the game will be getting an update soon. The game has definitely seen better days – when players could play without the fear of bugs or hackers ruining their experience. If Valve truly wants to revive the game and its players – an operation is the best way to bring back players who have migrated in search of greener pastures.