Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a straightforward game at first glance, but the game’s social media team cooked up a very hidden message for the community.
CSGO fans have discovered a hidden message in the new Twitter banner of the game’s official account. Under the simple phrase Counter-Strike, Valve hid a message that could reference a future Source 2 port. But how seriously should the average player take it?
The banner image was changed on September 29, 2022, but it doesn’t look special to the naked eye. It is a dark navy background with “Counter-Strike.” written in orange text. Most fans saw the change and moved on, though previous banner changes have preceded major events including the addition of the Danger Zone game mode.
However, CSGO conspiracy theorists quickly noticed that the simple name Counter-Strike matches up with a rumored rebrand of Global Offensive. The coincidence prompted more digging, and CSGO fans soon found something that they definitely weren’t prepared for. By adjusting the exposure and offset of the image, the banner turns into something much more exciting.
By altering the image used as the official CSGO Twitter banner, fans managed to find a message hidden in plain sight. The message promises that it isn’t a hint toward anything crazy like Source 2, but fans aren’t sure whether or not to take it seriously.
It’s not clear exactly who first discovered it, but one of the earliest reports came from established CSGO influencer Aquarius. They posted the modified version shown above on September 30.
Fellow CSGO hypebeast Gabe Follower also noticed that the letters in the banner’s phrases add up to 14 on the top row and 28 on the lower. Diving the latter by the former results in two, the exact same number used in Source 2. This is a farfetched theory and probably presented as a joke, but it would explain the awkward period after Counter-Strike in the banner.
As for how seriously fans should take this, it’s definitely a sneaky move by Valve that took work and coordination to pull off. The social media team may have expected it to take longer to find. The fact that Valve itself is possibly referencing a Source 2 version of CSGO is a pleasant surprise, but it’s also far from conclusive. If the developer is working on a Source 2 port, this could be a sign that things are close.
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