More evidence of Counter Strike’s impending Source 2 upgrade appears

It has been a big week for Valve leaks. A few days ago, an Nvidia driver update revealed the existence of CSGO2.exe and cs2.exe, pointing to a new version of Counter Strike being in development. Then, a reputable esports journalist revealed that Counter Strike 2 is indeed in testing and a beta could be coming before the end of the month. Now, leaks are coming straight from Valve itself, with new Counter Strike references being discovered in code for Dota 2. 

Dota 2 has been the source of many leaks over the years, with dataminers finding references to ongoing projects, like Half-Life VR (released as Half-Life Alyx), a new game called Citadel, something known as HLX, and now, Counter Strike 2. Through datamining, a ton of new references to a source 2 version of CSGO have been discovered.

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The strings prove one theory that was posited in Richard Lewis's report on the game's development. While the project has been referred to as Counter Strike 2 by various people, this is likely going to be a reworking of CSGO in the Source 2 engine.

Chances are, Valve will follow a similar strategy to Dota 2's move to the new engine. We can expect a Source 2 Counter Strike beta first, separate from the main CSGO client. Then after a period of testing, the two clients will be merged and thus the market will remain in tact and all of your skins and other in-game items will carry over to the new version.

Valve has not yet announced anything officially. However, the number of leaks in the last week alone seem to suggest that things are moving fast and we shouldn't have to wait long for an announcement or to see the new Source 2 version of Counter Strike in action.

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KitGuru Says: Aside from the obvious visual upgrades that Source 2 should bring, Valve is also reportedly planning a new matchmaking system and a networking upgrade for official servers to improve the online experience. 

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