Valve's Legacy Thrives, Says Counter-Strike Co-Creator

Minh "Gooseman" Le, co-creator of Counter-Strike, recently shared his satisfaction with Valve's stewardship of the iconic first-person shooter (FPS) game. In an interview with Spillhistorie.no celebrating the 25th anniversary of Counter-Strike, Le discussed the game's journey and his experiences following its acquisition by Valve.

Le Commends Valve for Upholding Counter-Strike's Legacy

Le, along with Jess Cliffe, crafted Counter-Strike, a game that has become a staple in the FPS genre. Reflecting on the decision to sell the intellectual property to Valve, Le expressed, "Yes, I’m happy with how things turned out with Valve, with regards to selling the IP to them. They have done a great job of maintaining the legacy of CS."

The transition to Steam was not without its challenges. Le recounted the early days of Steam, stating, "I remember Steam had a lot of stability issues in the early days and there were several days where players could not even log in to play the game." Despite these technical hiccups, Le appreciated the community's role in smoothing the transition, noting, "Thankfully, we had a lot of help from the community as many people wrote helpful guides to assist the transition."

Le's journey with Counter-Strike began as an undergraduate student in 1998, developing it as a mod for Half-Life. He drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including classic arcade games like Virtua Cop and Time Crisis, as well as films such as Hong Kong action movies by John Woo, and Hollywood hits like Heat, Ronin, Air Force One, and Tom Clancy movies from the 90s. In 1999, Cliffe joined Le to enhance the game's maps.

On June 19, Counter-Strike celebrated its 25th anniversary, a testament to its enduring appeal among FPS enthusiasts. The latest iteration, Counter-Strike 2, boasts nearly 25 million monthly players, showcasing Valve's successful management and development of the franchise amidst fierce competition in the FPS market.

Despite relinquishing ownership of Counter-Strike to Valve, Le remains grateful for their handling of his creation. He shared, "It was very humbling because I viewed Valve with such high regard. I learned a lot from working at Valve because I got to work with some of the best game developers in the industry and they taught me skills I would never have learned outside of Valve."