One of the most anticipated games of the year Counter-Strike 2, has reportedly been leaked.
According to vx-underground’s Twitter post threads, Counter Strike 2 leaked through a “Limited Test” period. The game was made available to a selected number of individuals, and apparently, “one of these individuals shared the game files,” states the hypothesis posted by vx-underground.
The Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test is now live. Detailed information around the Limited Test can be found here: https://t.co/X4EQGkDxSI
— CS2 (@CounterStrike) March 22, 2023
Video game publishers Valve Corporation, Nexon, Gamania Digital, and Tiancity collaborated on the second franchise installment and were running a “Limited Testing” period on the website.
According to the details shared on Twitter, Counter Strike 2 was leaked via a Torrent client and was limited to single-player mode. The game was scheduled to be released in the Summer of 2023 but was allegedly leaked by one of the testers.
Counter Strike 2 leaked before the official launch
Scanning through multiple details shared on various platforms, The Cyber Express found that around 18.92GB of data was leaked with over 2664 files, including the standard .exe game launcher.
A Twitter user Artie Yamamoto, who posted details about the game also, also shared in-game images and files, along with a tweet that read, “Pretty fun btw (playing with Goldberg Steam Emu).”
pretty fun btw (playing with Goldberg Steam Emu) pic.twitter.com/IpqTy4KfaD
— Artie Yamamoto (@masterchaerge) March 24, 2023
Alon Gal, the co-founder and CTO at Israel based cybercrime intelligence firm Hudson Rock also confirmed the incident and shared images on the gameplay.
“The files appear to be from a beta version of CS:GO2 that was available to selected players, with one of the players likely leaking the files, the leaked version does not support multiplayer mode,” Gal wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Last Wednesday, Valve, the gaming company behind the Counter Strike franchise, announced Counter Strike 2 and released three gameplay videos as part of the event.
However, the American video game developer also shared a limited testing period for gaming enthusiasts and published an online FAQ for joining the limited test for CS2 and how to join the program.
Today we’re excited to announce Counter-Strike 2. Counter-Strike 2 is an overhaul to every system, every piece of content, and every part of the C-S experience. First, let’s talk about smoke grenades: pic.twitter.com/iTtguRHJ0S
— CS2 (@CounterStrike) March 22, 2023
Unfortunately, Counter Strike 2 leaked before the company could officially release it. Valve promised some big improvements in the game and called it the “largest technical leap forward in Counter Strike’s history.”
Apparently, the game was supposed to run on Valve’s Source 2 engine, which will improve the total visibility and brightness in classic maps. The game will also feature the new Source 2 tools and leverage new rendering for better gameplay.
New Smoke on Counter-Strike 2 Source 2. 🤡#CSGO #CSGO2 #Source2 #Esports #Gaming #Steam #Valve pic.twitter.com/aO9z7b4kJE
— Lipozzz (@lipozzz) March 12, 2023
Valve also announced a major overhaul of smoke grenades in Counter-Strike 2. The new smoke plumes will be dynamic volumetric objects that respond to the environment, including lighting, gunfire, and explosions.
This means that players can create openings in the smoke and disperse it using the explosion of a frag grenade. These changes will add a new layer of realism and tactical depth to the gameplay.