Counter-Strike’s GOAT s1mple tweets about feelings regarding CS2’s Anti-Cheat
Counter-Strike 2 has begun a whole new era for the legendary first-person shooter’s legacy. Since its release players have been hoping to see CS2 fix the shortcomings of CSGO. Despite all the time and resources put into the new game, major issues like cheating have been reanimated into CS2. These issues have plagued the franchise for a long time and considering the current situation, there is no indication that it is going away anytime soon.
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev, considered one of the greatest professional CS players of all time, has recently spoken about the issue on Twitter/X.
S1mple Begs Valve to Improve Anti-Cheat
The cheating issue in Counter-Strike is no new dilemma for the gaming world. Players are always expecting to see one cheater every time they go into matchmaking. This has been the case since CSGO. Players using hacks like aimbots and wall-hacks tend to pop up in your regular competitive games. This represents the poor state of Valve’s anti-cheat software. Its incapability to stop hackers from entering games and getting them banned is somewhat of a meme in the world of gaming.
The issue that is even more depressing for the CS community is the fact that despite being active for over a decade, Valve has made no major progress in improving its Anti-Cheat. When CS2 came into existence, everyone from casual players to pros were hoping to see this problem get fixed. To their dismay, there was no improvement.
Despite having major upgrades and improvements like the Premier mode, which is similar to FaceIt but in the game and not a third-party application, improved graphics and server status. This enraged the player base even more and people from all over the world spoke out about this issue. Even before this current tweet, s1mple stated that he would take a break from competing professionally because he believed the game was released in an unfinished state.
What the GOAT Has To Say
In his tweet, s1mple stated that the lack of a proper anti-cheat ruins the experience for anyone trying to play Premier, which is otherwise a great addition to the game. He even mentioned Counter-Strike’s current biggest rival, Valorant, saying that no one will play Premier competitively like Valorant because of these issues.
You need to understand @CounterStrike that without proper anticheat – Premier fucking sucks, no one gonna grind for rating like in Valorant, easiest way – connect with FaceIT anticheat, hardest way – create much better one
— Sasha (@s1mpleO) April 1, 2024
It is important to understand that Premier was made to be a game mode exactly like regular competitive matchmaking but with a global ranking system. It is very similar to FaceIt and was made for players to compete in a more driven and serious manner. However, s1mple explained in his tweet that such a mentality cannot be established when the basic competitive integrity of the game is disrupted. There have been cases where cheaters have even appeared in open-qualifers for official major tournaments, some we covered earlier this year.
With a final nail in the coffin, the pro said that right now the only way to enjoy that sort of competitive gameplay is through third-party servers like FaceIt or if Valve manages to develop something even better that can revive that part of the community.
Do Others Say the Same
Even before s1mple’s tweet, members of the CS community have been long yearning for this issue to be addressed by the developers. Pros and casuals alike have had the same complaint for years. Influencers who are involved in esports and creating content have aired their dissatisfaction with the anti-cheat.
With s1mple’s new tweet, a new-found energy has risen amongst the players again. Many influential figures have given similar statements for Valve to make their anti-cheat as invasive to the player’s device as possible. This is also how Counter-Strike’s primary competitor Valorant’s Vanguard anti-cheat works.
Some have even stated that they are running into cheaters even in FaceIt lobbies, which increases the pressure on Valve to make something happen. Players have straight-up said that Valorant ranked is much better. It can be safe to say that if this issue isn’t fixed and the cheaters keep improving and running rampant, slowly but surely the player count will dwindle, much less have any new gamers try out the game.
Make sure you check out our other articles on Counter-Strike 2 to stay updated with the game and it’s esports.
