Why is CSGO selling Battlefield 2042 stickers in its store?

Battlefield 2042 stickers are now available in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. And yes, you’re reading that right.

Late on November 17, Valve quietly pushed an update to CSGO for a new Battlefield 2042 sticker capsule. All of the designs are references to the latest edition of DICE’s sandbox shooter. The designs include references to combat drones, portal mode, multiplayer storms, and the infamous penguins seen in the trailer. 

As a new release, every player currently has access to the Battlefield 2042 sticker capsule. They are available through the CSGO client under the coupons tab on the main menu. Battlefield 2042 sticker capsules cost 99 cents and include three different rarities. Purples get the holographic treatment while pinks come in foil. 

Valve has released very little information about this capsule. It wasn’t even teased before its release, which indicates that it was either done very quickly or planned well in advance but perhaps delayed. There’s also no word on if CSGO will get some sort of representation in return via Battlefield 2042. Does this mean that 2042 will start selling loot boxes with CSGO rainbow knife skins?

Why did CSGO sell Battlefield 2042 stickers?

Both CSGO and Battlefield 2042 are generally considered to be in the same genre as first-person shooters. That would make Battlefield 2042 and CSGO seem like rivals, not friends. However, the games are different enough that a collaboration doesn’t really step on anyone’s toes, even when it’s CSGO selling Battlefield 2042 stickers.

Battlefield 2042 is a more casual game while CSGO leans toward its competitive roots. Battlefield emphasizes over-the-top action and vehicular combat, while CSGO is all about patience and tactics. There are probably hundreds of thousands of gamers with titles from both series their Steam libraries, so it’s not the same as Battlefield 2042 teaming up with more direct competitors such as Call of Duty, or CSGO selling Valorant skins.

Valve was completely silent ahead of this unexpected release, and DICE never even hinted that such a discussion was being held behind the scenes. Battlefield 2042 has received a lukewarm response thus far, though that’s unlikely to be the reason for the sticker silence.