CS:GO Going Free-to-Play Was the Best Decision The Devs Could Have Made

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an incredibly popular multiplayer game by Valve that has a cult following from its player base. From pro tornaments, to a high concurrent player count, CS:GO is a title meant to be played. When the team decided that the game should move to free-to-play status in addition to adding a battle royale mode, the community was mixed with their reactions. As it turns out, it was one of the best decisions the developers could have made.

Though the most recent charting of concurrent players doesn't beat out their all time high of 850,000, the December month since going free-to-play did peak at 746, 548, which was a notable increase from November's 546,031. Since the average peak last year was 300,000, the stark increase means that the move - despite controversial at first - was the right move to make.

When the game first moved to free-to-play status, the Steam page was review bombed almost instantaneously. When it was bombarded with over 14,000 negative reviews, many thought this could be the mark of a decline for the noteworthy game. Though we've only had a month to see past the initial change, it's good to see that the reaction to the game is back to being more level-headed versus a knee-jerk response to the big change.

With the new battle royale experience now available, there's a certain freshness to the game as well. According to Valve, Danger Zone offers a fast-paced online experience - taking on the Battle Royale genre by storm. Using the traditional mechanics and tactical gameplay that CS:GO is known for, Danger Zone challenges players to take what they know and use it in the ultimate battle for survival.

Here's what you need to know about the latest addition to the award-winning shooter:

• Drop into the Blacksite
  • Enter a match with up to 18 players. Find what you can, order what you need, prepare for the unexpected.
• Fight or Flight
  • Check your tablet for intel, choose to engage or live to fight another day.
• No time to waste
  • Test your skills, make the most of your equipment, and make every moment count.

Players will also have an arsenal available to them that are already familiar to CS:GO players. From SMGs, to rifles - and of course the heavy artillery that the game is known for, this new experience may be different for the franchise but it will still have a familiar feel to it.

What do you think about Valve's decision to add in battle royale and go free-to-play? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below, or hit me up over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy.

[H/T PCGamesN]