The Very First Version Of Counter-Strike Is 25 Years Old
The cult game Counter-Strike turned 25 years old. Exactly a quarter of a century ago, on June 19, 1999, the world saw a modification for Half-Life, which a year later turned into an independent project.
Counter-Strike was born from a mod for the first Half-Life created by Gooseman and Cliffe—these pseudonyms were known to the co-creators of the future competitive hit Minh Le and Jess Cliffe.
Even before the release version, Counter-Strike became a hit, and Valve drew attention to the project. In the summer of 2000, the company acquired the rights to the game, and invited Le and Cliff to work on its staff. Both modders agreed.
Of course, the first “beta” was noticeably different from the most well-known versions (1.5, 1.6), but it was from it that a 25-year journey began, in which Counter-Strike would change the industry of team games and e-sports.
Counter-Strike remains one of the most popular games in the world. Now daily online players confidently exceed 1 million, and the record is set at over 1.8 million, which is the third best result on Steam. Only PUBG and Palworld are ahead.
