Counter-Strike creator explains why he left Valve, says he partly regrets it now

At 20 years old, Minh Le, better known as 'Gooseman,' co-created what would become one of the biggest and most popular videogames in the world. Originally a humble Half-Life mod, Counter-Strike was quickly spotted and bought by Valve, which also hired its two developers. 25 years later, Counter-Strike 2 averages 1.6 million peak concurrent players per day - estimates vary, but most sources assert that the shooter earns Valve around a billion dollars a year. Not bad for something that was first built in a college dorm room. Le, however, doesn't work at Valve anymore. Alongside Ultimo Ratio, he's now working on a new - and excellent - FPS called Alpha Response (more on that later). So, what prompted him to quit a job at one of the most esteemed game makers in the business, leaving behind Counter-Strike in the process? Talking to PCGamesN exclusively, Minh Le explains what happened.

Development of Counter-Strike began in January 1999. For six months, Le and co-creator Jess Cliffe built four maps, nine weapons, and a functioning hostage rescue mode. The beta was released in July. By April the following year, Valve had secured the rights to bundle Counter-Strike 1.0 with the upcoming Half-Life update. The first major version of one of the best FPS games of all time went live on November 9, 2000.

"Around beta 1, we realized we had something special on our hands," Le tells us. "By the time Valve contacted us, that's when we thought this could go down in history as something special. It introduced a new style. Back then, every FPS was a deathmatch - die, respawn, die. But Counter-Strike introduced the concept of a round-based match. A lot of people seemed to enjoy this economy of saving up to buy better guns, and debating whether they should buy something now or get something better later in the match.

"I was 20 at the time. I held Valve in such high regard. They were my idols. It was surreal that they recognized the game. 'Oh my god. You guys like my game?!' It was overwhelming. When they offered us a deal, we didn't really think it over. We just thought it was an incredible opportunity to work with Valve."

After starting his new job, Le began work on a Counter-Strike sequel - a would-be 'Counter-Strike 2.0'. He wanted to make something that he could shape from the ground up, and that would allow him to implement new ideas and mechanics. But Counter-Strike was doing incredibly well. Valve didn't want to upset the balance.

"I was speaking to Gabe and some of the higher ups and we came to the decision that I wasn't able to work on a game that I could mold in the way I molded Counter-Strike," Le explains. "We both realized that Counter-Strike had reached its apex. It was impossible for us to change it in any way, because the community was so used to it. I was very much wanting to come up with different features."

Le left Valve to make Tactical Intervention, a co-op shooter that would form part of the blueprint for Alpha Response. He has mixed feelings about his departure.

"It was an amicable decision," Le says. "They didn't force me out or anything. But a part of me kind of regrets it. Looking back, my decision to leave Valve was, financially, kind of a poor decision. If I had stayed with Valve, I would have been able to retire by now. But I took a harder route. I went off on my own, made some poor business decisions, worked with some bad companies and bad actors. But I learned a lot and I was able to grow as a game developer.

"I'm glad Counter-Strike is successful and people are playing it. It's not the demographic that I envisioned playing it when I first came up with the game, but more power to them. If there's something about the game that they enjoy doing, that's good."

Alpha Response is still in early access but already one of the most promising new FPS games of recent years. I spoke with Le about the inspirations and goals behind his current project.

If you're a big Counter-Strike fan, you might want to reminisce with some of the other best old games. Otherwise, if you're playing online, make sure you have the best gaming headset available in 2025.

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