Valve is considering the possibility of rebranding CS:GO along with the transition of the game to the Source 2 engine. Dataminer and insider Maxim Gabe Follower Poletaev reported this, citing his own sources.
It is assumed that Valve wants to change the name of CS:GO to Counter-Strike – without the subtitle Global Offensive. The developers will also remove mentions of terrorists from CS:GO: the parties to the conflict will be renamed to CT and T – the abbreviations familiar to players from Counter-Terrorists and Terrorists, respectively. According to Gabe Follower, the rebranding is dictated by the studio’s desire to avoid difficulties in obtaining age ratings and in concluding sponsorship agreements. In this regard, the company was inspired by the example of Valorant.
Valve did not report a possible change in the name of CS: GO, however, Poletaev considered that the studio had already hinted at this on Twitter. Recently, the official shooter account has changed the banner, which now says “Counter-Strike.” – Similar messages have been repeatedly published by developers.
Gabe Follower also discovered direct mention of CS:GO in the Source 2 tools. At the same time, Valve did not announce the transition of the shooter to a new engine.