Counter-strike: Global Offensive will allow for bigger tournaments

Valve's avowed intent to unify Counter-strike 1.6 and Source players with Counter-strike: Global Offensive will enable an even greater domination of the eSports scene.

"Version 1.6 and Source are pretty big players, right? They’re kind of the number-one first person shooters – there are a lot of games that have come and gone but those remain really pure and competitive games," Valve's Chet Faliszek said of eSports in an interview with Develop.

"Both sets of pros would love to see a game that sponsors would see as the definitive version so they can have bigger tournaments.

"Counter-Strike has a history of established tournaments. We don’t want to stifle that, we want to make this an organic process that will see those organisations grow even more."

Major eSports figures have been quick to bite at the target offered them.

"I had emails from ESL and CEVO [the biggest leagues in USA and Europe], so the conversations have already started with those guys," Faliszek revealed.

"They’re really smart, and the competitive players are really smart – they think about the choices they make and you can’t force them to do anything. We want to work with them and get their feedback."

Still, the growth of the Counter-strike community is an important motivating factor.

"We know the 1.6 players and the CSS players are looking for something new. I think they’d like something from us that can incorporate them into being one.

"[Players stick with their version of choice] because they like that skill set and rule set, and they like that level of competition but I still think they’d happily move to something else if it could bring in new players, and they could see their community grow.

"So hopefully everyone is looking in with open minds to us trying to make the game that will make everybody happy."

Counter-strike: Global Offensive is expected on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early 2012.