Gaben’s no-show at last CSGO Major leaves fans heartbroken

Valve’s absence at the last Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major is both heartbreaking and infuriating for fans, who were counting on Gabe Newell’s speech — or at least an appearance.

Gabe Newell is synonymous with Valve. The president of Valve Corporation and all things CSGO makes a note of showing up at The International Dota 2 events, even if it’s just for the trophy reveal. But this appearance was always curiously absent when it came to the grand stages of CSGO majors. However, fans had made their peace with it until the last Major was announced.

Gabe Newell is much more than just a president for the players who live and breathe CSGO. These players were anticipating a surprise visit from Gabe, considering it was the last ever CSGO major. But that never happened, and fans aren’t happy.

Fans upset over Valve’s absence at the Paris Major

The CSGO community waited for Valve’s appearance during the pre-game ceremony with bated breath, but it was all for nothing. After the trophy reveal and a show match, the games began as usual, and Gabe or any notable personality from Valve never showed up.

Despite Valve’s lukewarm attitude towards its hit FPS, fans still had high expectations that Valve would attend the last CSGO major, posting tweets and memes about it for weeks. But there was not even a closing speech to pay respect to CSGO, on top of Valve’s absence, which isn’t sitting right with the fans.

“There’s no shot Valve didn’t announce ANYTHING regarding CS2 during the last CSGO major. It’s honestly embarrassing how this company treats this franchise. Gaben over a DECADE did not show face at a single one, ” a fan said.

Over the years, Valve had a total of 19 opportunities to acknowledge how much CSGO has grown, but they were all missed. The 2023 Paris major was the last chance for Gabe and Valve to redeem years of disregard.

Whatever the case, passionate fans still loved the final major as they bid farewell to the last big CSGO stage ever.