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History of Counter-Strike Timeline
(June 19, 1999 - Present)Counter-Strike began as a fan-made modification for Valve's Half-Life, created by Minh 'Gooseman' Le and Jess Cliffe in 1999. Its blend of team-based terrorist vs. counter-terrorist gameplay made it one of the most influential first-person shooters ever. Valve acquired the rights and released official versions including Condition Zero, Source, Global Offensive (2012), which became a massive esports phenomenon, and finally Counter-Strike 2 in 2023, built on the Source 2 engine. More Less
Main series releases
Minh Le and Jess Cliffe create Counter-Strike
1999
Counter-Strike was designed by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe as a mod for Half-Life. Their community-driven project grew rapidly in popularity, ultimately leading to Valve acquiring the rights and hiring the developers in 2000.
Image source: Counter-Strike (video game)
Counter-Strike released as a Half-Life mod
1999
The Counter-Strike series began in 1999 with the release of the first game, Counter-Strike, on Windows. It was initially released as a mod for Half-Life, designed by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe.
Valve acquires rights to Counter-Strike
2000
The development team behind the original Counter-Strike mod was hired by Valve in 2000, when the company acquired the rights to the mod's intellectual property. Valve then turned Counter-Strike into a retail product released later that year.
Counter-Strike retail release
Nov 8, 2000
After acquiring the intellectual property from Minh Le and Jess Cliffe's mod team, Valve transformed Counter-Strike from a free Half-Life modification into a standalone retail product released for Windows in 2000, cementing its place as a major franchise.
Counter-Strike: Condition Zero release
Mar 23, 2004
Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, developed by Turtle Rock Studios, was released in March 2004 as the follow-up to the original Counter-Strike, offering single-player content alongside the classic multiplayer experience.
Image source: Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
Counter-Strike: Source beta opens
Aug 11, 2004
Counter-Strike: Source was initially released as a beta on August 11, 2004, exclusively to members of the Valve Cyber Café Program, marking the series' transition to the Source engine.
Image source: Counter-Strike: Source
Source beta expands to Condition Zero owners
Aug 18, 2004
On August 18, 2004, the Counter-Strike: Source beta was expanded to owners of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and to customers who had purchased ATI Radeon video cards bundled with a Half-Life 2 voucher.
Franchise surpasses 25 million units sold
Aug 2011
As of August 2011, the Counter-Strike franchise had sold over 25 million units, demonstrating its enduring popularity more than a decade after its debut as a Half-Life mod.
Image source: Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive release
Aug 21, 2012
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the fourth game in the main Valve-developed series, was released in 2012 for Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, revitalizing competitive play across the globe.
Image source: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike 2 announced
Mar 22, 2023
On March 22, 2023, Valve announced Counter-Strike 2, which utilizes the Source 2 game engine. It was originally announced as a free upgrade to Global Offensive with a summer 2023 release date.
Image source: Counter-Strike 2
Key Facts
- Counter-Strike originated in 1999 as a free Half-Life mod created by Minh 'Gooseman' Le and Jess Cliffe.
- Valve acquired the rights to Counter-Strike and released the retail version in November 2000.
- Counter-Strike: Source launched in 2004, rebuilding the game on the Source engine.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) was released in August 2012 and became one of the world's largest esports titles, with tournaments like the Majors offering million-dollar prize pools.
- Counter-Strike 2, built on the Source 2 engine with upgraded smoke grenades and sub-tick networking, was released in September 2023 as a free upgrade replacing CS:GO.
Source
This History of Counter-Strike timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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