Over the past two years, three games—DOTA2, CS:GO, and PUBG—have consistently dominated and shared the top three spots in player count on the Steam platform. Typically, DOTA2 and PUBG alternate in these top two positions; however, from November 2019 to February 2020, CS:GO experienced an unprecedented growth rate, rising to the top position.
Naturally, there are subjective factors from CS:GO itself, such as the launch of Operation Shattered Web, which introduced many exciting features, character skins, and gameplay enhancements. However, a significant external factor influencing CS:GO’s growth was Riot Games’ announcement of Project A. If you’ve noticed, the player count for CS:GO surged significantly in January and February, coinciding with the first details about Project A’s gameplay being revealed.
As mentioned in a previous article where caster HenryG commented on Project A, he believes it to be the best game he has played since CS:GO. Project A may have unique characters and special skill systems, but fundamental elements like team roles for defense and attack, and spending money after each round to purchase equipment and weapons, are all learned from CS:GO.
The League of Legends player base is massive, and they are eager to play any game that Riot Games releases. Therefore, to best prepare for the launch of Project A, they need to find a game that closely resembles it, and CS:GO is the perfect choice. It’s no coincidence that many female League of Legends streamers like Pokimane, who probably never thought about playing CS:GO, suddenly want to learn this game to get accustomed to it before Project A launches.
Perhaps with new games that have gameplay very familiar to League of Legends players, like League of Legends: Wild Rift or Teamfight Tactics Mobile, getting accustomed to them isn’t too necessary. However, for games with specific gameplay characteristics such as Legends of Runeterra (a card game) or Project A (a tactical shooter), preparation is incredibly important.
Of course, CS:GO remains a legend with a depth of strategy that few shooters of the same genre can match. But in light of new, trendier games like Project A set to launch soon, Valve will need more than just Operation Shattered Web to keep players from jumping ship to Riot Games’ offerings.