Counter Strike: Global Offensiveis experiencing a bit of a resurgence in recent months, with players turning up in droves to play the long-enduring first person shooter.
Released all the way back in 2012,CS:GOsaw a previous peak number of concurrent users in 2016, when 850,485 players were engaged in dustups on well-trodden maps Dust 2, Mirage, or Inferno. It seems as though a lot of people are enjoying games these days asSteam also broke a record for concurrent userson February 2nd. While this news for Steam is impressive, an 8-year-old game breaking a record that has stood for 4 years is quite the feat.
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Today,CS:GOsaw 876,575 players log in, hitting that peak before settling down around 800,000 for the better part of the day and then tapering off. Looking a little deeper into the numbers, there is a noticeable climb in players from a low point around the summer of 2018. Since then, the daily average user base has doubled from 250,000 up to around 500,000. Peak player numbers are following a similar trajectory, doubling from around 400,000 to about 800,000 in recent weeks. To double the active user base in little over 18 months on an aging title shows thatValve is putting in the timeto keep the game fresh.
The game has long been a big player on the esports scene.Back in 2017,CS: GOwas #2on total prize money doled out in tournament play, with competitive play taking place on specifically whitelisted maps that make up the “Active Duty” map pool. Occasionally, these maps are taken off the list to be revamped, as Dust 2 was in 2017.
The recent surge in active players on theCS:GOscene could be a result of the recentlyannouncedCS:GOleague, Flashpoint. Offering over $2 million in prizes for the year, the new league will be owned by esports teams, with 10 teams buying into the league. It stands to reason that the press blitz that has come from this news announcement is fueling interest even at the casual level.
If the numbers continue to trend as they have over the last 18 months, it won’t be long before a new record for concurrent players is established for the durable franchise.
