CS2 gets a ton of hate for updates
Our beloved game is currently undergoing some rather peculiar and disheartening occurrences. With its boundless wisdom, Valve occasionally bestows upon us, mere mortal Counter-Strike fans, perplexing updates that remain an enigma to all but themselves. Very recently, one such update surfaced, and as a result, fans ruthlessly inundated the developer with animosity, solely because there was just one fix, which was uncovered by m0NESY from G2.
Table of Contents
What happened to the game?
If just a few months ago Valve released several significant updates for CS2 that unquestionably improved the game, on January 18th they rolled out an update that was almost void of any substantial changes. Reddit users were seething with anger and expressed their frustration (“FE”) and utter disbelief that Valve would choose to release such an insignificant patch on the eve of the first Major, RMR qualifiers, and other important events. By “meaningless,” they meant that the update lacked the significance to warrant a formal announcement, as the game has far more pressing issues than a minor gap on Vertigo.
Many referred to the update as “comically sad,” and this sentiment was widely shared. Some even made jests about Valve employing only a single person to develop CS2, which supposedly explained these “massive” updates. Regardless of its relevance, the update did address an exploit on Vertigo that was recently discovered by m0nesy, potentially posing a threat to the ongoing RMR Major qualifiers. However, days later, a similar “gap” was found on the same map, but there was no grand announcement or detailed patch log for its fix.
From players turning invisible and severe ping issues to cheating exploits on the team change screen, Valve has a long list of critical bugs and problems to address. Yet, it appears that a sporadic glitch on Vertigo, caught by a professional player, takes precedence. Most players were either disappointed or resorted to jokingly criticizing Valve for this lackluster update. However, the silver lining for developers is that the majority of players genuinely want to see Valve rectify the persistent instability issues that have plagued their flagship title since its release.
Everything is bad online too
The issues surrounding online play in CS2 have persisted for a considerable duration, but currently, the game has regressed back to levels comparable to those of 2022. Frankly speaking, this outcome is not surprising because the developers have struggled to captivate their player base with new offerings. Even in the realm of updates, they are encountering significant challenges. In December, statistics revealed a concerning decline in the average online presence in CS2, which had decreased by a third since its release. These statistics are readily accessible on the Steam Charts website.
Back in September, when CS:GO was still available, the game boasted an average of 976 thousand players per day. However, by November, this number had dwindled to 714 thousand. On January 22, 2024, the peak online player count in CS2 reached a mere 874 thousand. The last time such low figures were observed was during the summer of 2022 and in the subsequent decline of autumn 2023, back when the game was still known as CS:GO. For the following year and a half, with only occasional exceptions, the game consistently maintained an online player count surpassing one million.
