History Trivia / CounterStrike

** ''Global Offensive'' originally started as a UpdatedRerelease of ''Source'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}. When Valve realized it had greater potential, it was turned into a entirely new game in the series.

* BadExportForYou: Players in the Netherlands cannot buy keys or open loot boxes. They can, however, buy specific items through the Steam Marketplace. While players in France and Belgium cannot buy cases from the Steam Marketplace either.

** Most modern Korean, Taiwanese, or Chinese free to play FPS adopted gameplay and mechanics similar to ''Counter-Strike'', with the most infamous one being Smilegate's ''[=CrossFire=]. And then in 2008, Nexon licensed ''Counter-Strike'' and released [[Videogame/CounterStrikeOnline their own free to play spin.]]

** Subverted with ''Counter-Strike Nexon: Studio'' (formerly ''Nexon: Zombies''). While accessing the store page in certain region such as Asia will cause Steam to show an error message stating that it isn't available on your region, ''Nexon: Studio'' instead is a retitled Counter-Strike Online that was already available in many Asian countries. As of August 2019, it was officially open, as the Asian localized servers were closed.

** Flying Scoutsman is based on the custom map scoutzknivez, which gives every player a free Scout, removes their pistol, and sets the gravity low.
** Several custom maps from the previous installments are included in the official map pool of ''Global Offensive''. These include Cache, Mirage and Tuscan.

** Most modern Korean, Taiwanese, or Chinese free to play FPS adopted gameplay and mechanics similar to ''Counter-Strike'', with the most infamous one being Smilegate's Crossfire. And then in 2008, Nexon licensed Counter-Strike and released [[Videogame/CounterStrikeOnline their own free to play spin.]]
** Search and Destroy game mode in various shooters including Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
*** Zombie mode as well. Even ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', the game everyone ''else'' rips off these days, included a similar Infected mode starting from ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 3''.

** Critical Ops, a free-to-play mobile game that plays very similarly to CSGO and even include weapon skins, and non-paying players can grind in game points to unlock crates.

** Subverted with ''Counter-Strike Nexon Zombies''. While accessing the store page in certain region such as Asia will cause Steam to show an error message stating that it isn't available on your region, Nexon Zombies instead is a retitled Counter-Strike Online that was already available in many Asian countries. As of August 2019, it was officially open, as the Asian localized servers were closed.
** NEO and NEO -WHITE MEMORIES- aren't available outside of Japan and with the NEO sub-series has been long since discontinued, it never will.

* RereleasedForFree: As of 2018, CSGO is free to play. For several months after the announcement, free players can only play with bots or watch matches, while multiplayer or inventory still requires players to purchase. With the release of Danger Zone just a few months after the announcement, the game is completely free to play.[[note]]The ''Prime'' version for matchmaking is still paid and costs twice than the game itself used to, but anyone who owned the game before that update was upgraded to ''Prime'' for free. Free users, from 2018 to 2021, could also upgrade to Prime for free after reaching level 21, but that was a ground for boosting loopholes, and thus it was turned into a paid-only privilege[[/note]]

** The game then fell into the hands of Ritual Entertainment, who (like Rogue) had been out of work after a cancelled port from EA and needed a project. Ritual also agreed to produce an Xbox port of the original ''Counter-Strike''. But in June 2003 Ritual ran into financial troubles after finishing ''VideoGame/StarTrekEliteForce II'' and were forced to lay off members of the ''Condition Zero'' team. While Ritual completed development of ''Condition Zero'', Valve was deeply unhappy about the quality of the game and a handful of outlets who received review copies were unkind in their reviews. Valve retracted the game's immediate release and - without informing Ritual - assigned Turtle Rock Studios to finish ''Condition Zero'', scrapping Ritual's single-player in favor of skirmishes against bots, redesigned characters, and new maps. Ritual's Xbox port was released in November 2003 to positive reviews, but ''Condition Zero'' released in March 2004 to mediocre reviews that considered the game outdated as ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' and ''Counter-Strike Source'' were mere months away from their own release. Ritual's single-player portion of the game would be included as ''Deleted Scenes''.

** ''Global Offensive'' originally started as a UpdatedRerelease of ''Counter-Strike: Source'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}. When Valve realized it had greater potential, it was turned into a entirely new game in the series.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://counterstrike.wikia.com/wiki/Counter-Strike_Wiki The Counter-Strike Wiki]] and [[http://liquipedia.net/counterstrike/Main_Page liquipedia Counter-Strike Wiki]].

* RecursiveAdaptation: The censored German version of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' included the [=MP5=], Steyr Scout, AWP and [=SG552=] from ''Counter-Strike: Source''. ''Global Offensive'', in turn, uses modified versions of the ''[=L4D2=]'' models for the Glock, Desert Eagle, MAC-10 and AK-47.

** Arms Race and Demolition mode from CS:GO are based from the "Gun Game" custom scripted gameplay mode where you are given different weapons after each kill.

** The concept of the game was born when Rogue Entertainment, who was out of work and in financial trouble after EA canned their Playstation 2 port of ''VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice'', was contacted by Valve CEO Gabe Newell, who pitched the idea of a single-player focused game using the gameplay of Counter-Strike. Both parties reached an agreement for the game to start production in April 2001. Rogue quickly went into crunch to have material presentable in time for E3 2001 but one month after development started, Lead Producer Jim Molinets unexpectedly left Rogue. While Rogue insisted that his departure would not impact the project, Valve felt "betrayed" and had serious doubts over Rogue's stability, pulling the plug in May 2001. This served to accelerate Rogue's collapse and left Rogue employees infuriated by the sudden cancellation. Employees wasted little time [[https://www.shacknews.com/article/14041/more-on-rogue-valve-fallout leaking details]] of the negotiations as well as a number of early screenshots of the game. Rogue would be acquired by United Developers later in the year.

** The 1.6 version of ''Counter-Strike'' has HUD icons for a number of weapons and equipment that didn't make the game itself, such as Flares and a Rocket Launcher, as well as a Gas Grenade and Molotovs. Molotovs would finally be implemented in ''Global Offensive''.

** The early videos and public beta of ''Global Offensive'' had a number of differences with the weapons. Originally, the Galil had a scope attachment like the AUG and [=SG556=], but was cut for balance reasons. The [=MP5=] from the earlier games was to return, with a functional mesh and texture being found in the beta before it was removed completely - a new incarnation of the weapon would be introduced years later in an August 2018 update. Various script files also contain references to a number of other weapons not present in the final game.

** Most modern Korean, Taiwan, or Chinese free to play FPS adopted gameplay and mechanics similar to ''Counter-Strike'', with the most infamous one being Smilegate's Crossfire. And then in 2008, Nexon licensed Counter-Strike and released [[Videogame/CounterStrikeOnline their own free to play spin.]]

** CSGO introduces Wingman mode, where the map is even smaller and the match is two players versus two players. It was then followed up by Gunfight mode in ''Videogame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019''

** CSGO itself jumps into the BattleRoyaleGame bandwagon with "Danger Zone" although there are significant gameplay differences (such as everybody is wearing yellow jumpsuits, the ability to rescue hostages for money and every player is equipped with a tablet to buy and deliver weapon via drone)

* NoExportForYou: ''Global Offensive'' actually received a boxed physical release (a double pack containing discs for both the Windows and Macintosh version), but it was only released in Russia, India and a few countries in southeast Asia. Unusually for a PC game, it was also region-locked, meaning players who imported it couldn't use it to play anyway (though considering its availability on steam worldwide and the online nature of the game, it wouldn't matter much to anyone aside from collectors anyway).

** The game then fell into the hands of Ritual Entertainment, who (like Rogue) had been out of work after a cancelled port from EA and needed a project. Ritual also agreed to produce an Xbox port of the original ''Counter-Strike''. But in June 2003 Ritual ran into financial troubles after finishing ''VideoGame/StarTrekEliteForce II'' and were forced to lay off members of the ''Condition Zero'' team. While Ritual completed development of ''Condition Zero'', Valve was deeply unhappy about the quality of the game and a handful of outlets who received review copies were unkind in their reviews. Valve retracted the game's immediate release and - without informing Ritual - assigned Turtle Rock Studios to finish ''Condition Zero'', scrapping Ritual's single-player in favor of skirmishes against bots. Ritual's Xbox port was released in November 2003 to positive reviews, but ''Condition Zero'' released in March 2004 to mediocre reviews that considered the game outdated as ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' and ''Counter-Strike Source'' were mere months away from their own release. Ritual's single-player portion of the game would be included as ''Deleted Scenes''.

*** An obscure Japanese FPS called ''VideoGame/{{Expert}}'' even have the gall to market their game as "''Counter Strike: Ver. Expert''"!

* FanNickname:
** The so-called "map callouts" are nicknames for specific locations on the maps, developed by the English-speaking community over the span of 20 years. If you don't know what "A long", "B", "mid catwalk" or "low tunnel" in de_dust2 means, you must uninstall the game.
** The South American community has developed a few nicknames of their own, owing to the popularity that ''HLCS'' reached in that region:
*** "Terro": Glock 18, the default terrorist sidearm.
*** "Pajera": Benelli M3 / Nova. This name means "wanker" in English, in allusion to the motion of [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything repeatedly pulling and pushing the bolt back and forth]].
*** "Mocha": Benelli [=XM1014=]
*** "Grapadora", "Cacharro", "Porotera": Ingram MAC-10. These nicknames mean respectively "stapler", "clunker" and "bean shooter", in allusion to its poor firepower.
*** "Piu-piu": Steyr TMP, in allusion to its silenced shots.
*** "Corchetera": [=UMP45=]
*** "Americana": [=M4A1=]
*** "AM": Steyr AUG
*** "Conejera", "Matagatos": Scout
*** "Pipa": AWP
*** "Mayasera": SCAR-20 and [=G3SG1=]. It is believed to be a Hispanization of "my ass".
*** "Machin": FN Minimi
*** "[[VideoGame/MetalSlug Heavy Mashinegun]]": Negev, due to the great popularity of SNK arcade videogames in Latin America.
*** The South American community independently developed its own callouts for de_dust2, such as "carreta" for A long, "cata alta" for mid catwalk, "pacos culiaos" for T spawn, or "beta" for B.
** Most Thai players during ''1.6'' era often call the in-game guns not by their names but by their numerical keyboard shortcuts. AWP get called the "4-6" for example. New UI in ''Global Offensive'' eventually forced them to move away from using these nicknames.
** "Autonoob": The SCAR-20 and [=G3SG1=] in ''Global Offensive'', because their great precision and automatic fire makes them absolutely killer and supposedly good for noobs -- with the caveat that they're so expensive that if you die and didn't buy them with full funds, your next round is going to be eco.
** "Rhodesian": The [=G3SG1=], due to its IRL protagonism in the Rhodesian Bush War.
** "Choppa": The AK-47, which is also an IRL nickname.
** "Goat horn": The AK-47 as called by Mexican gamers[[note]]''cuerno de chivo''[[/note]], also an IRL nickname.
** "Allahu Akbar": The AK-47, because of the many videos depicting Islamist guerrillas firing their [=AK-47s=] in the air yelling "allahu akbar!".
** "Durka gun": The AK-47, for the same reason as above.
** "Discount AK": The [=UMP45=]
** "Pocket AK": The Desert Eagle, because its shots are as powerful as those of an AK-47.
** "Magic Stick": The AWP, because one single shot is guaranteed death.
** "Tickle gun": The PP-Bizon, because it fires the weakest shots of the entire game.
** "Discount tickle guns": The Dual Elites, because they function like a cheaper, semiautomatic PP-Bizon.
** "Dualies": The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dual]] Elites/Berretas.
** "[[VideoGame/MaxPayne Max Paynes]]": Berettas.
** "Pocket AWP": The R8 Revolver, because its precision rivals that of the AWP.
** "AWP Made in China": The Steyr Scout, because it functions like an AWP with less powerful shots.
** "Columbine": The Tec-9, which was the main gun used on the Columbine school shooting.
** "Kek-9": The Tec-9, a nickname born out of the internet alt-right's slight fascination with school shootings and the word "kek".
** "Wreck-9/Rekt-9": The Tec-9, given its damage capacity in the early game (and even later, against armored opponents).
** "WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}-9": Again, the Tec-9, born out of the internet's fascination with the Dreamworks ogre.
** "Mom's Credit Card": A catch-all nickname for expensive gun skins.
** Players jokingly call the remakes of Nuke and Inferno; "New-ke" and "Infer-new" respectively.
* FollowTheLeader:

** "Max Paynes": Berettas.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
** In the original 1999 mod and 2000 retail release, all of the terrorist groups were RippedFromTheHeadlines. The Elite Crew and Guerrilla Warfare groups were both Arab terrorist groups referred to as "fundamentalists", with their listed acts including a 1982 bombing of a rock and roll band (reminiscent of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_West_Berlin_discotheque_bombing 1986 West Berlin discotheque bombing]]), drawing to mind the very high profile attacks by Sunni Arab terrorists on Western civilians in the 80s and 90s, [[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/muammar-qaddafi-and-libyas-legacy-of-terrorism/ infamously supported]] by the regime of Libyan dictator UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi.
** Interestingly, rather than making them Al-Qaeda [[{{Expy}} expies]] as would be expected in a mid 2000s game, ''Condition Zero'' doubled down on their initial inspiration by specifying that both groups were funded by the regime of Libya, which had ceased such activities for years before ''Global Offensive'' began development (Libya was taken off the U.S. state sponsors of terror list in 2006). Their character descriptions also mention more of their actions in the 1980s that are clearly inspired by those of real-world terrorists supported by Libya in that time, such as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTA_Flight_772 "the 1989]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_73 hijacking of Fly Friendly Airlines Flight 983"]], or [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achille_Lauro_hijacking "an attack on a Mediterranean luxury cruise ship."]]
** Also from the original, the [[https://counterstrike.fandom.com/wiki/Phoenix_Connexion Phoenix Connection]], a militant group formed in the aftermath of the breakup of the USSR (only 8 years old at the time of the original game). Relevant in the 1990s, but Russia ''massively'' improved from the hellhole it was back then, reaching comfortably middle income levels of wealth and stability by the late 2000s, making their motivations seem quaint today.
** The [[https://counterstrike.fandom.com/wiki/Separatist Separatist]] terrorist group in ''Global Offensive'' is a thinly disguised version of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETA_(separatist_group) the ETA.]] The Basque insurgency was quelled and the ETA dissolved near the end of 2011, during the game's development.
** The [[https://counterstrike.fandom.com/wiki/Pirate Pirates]] terrorist group in ''Global Offensive'' are clearly based on Somali pirates, who were big in the news from the mid to late 2000s and early 2010s. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy_off_the_coast_of_Somalia#2013_collapse_of_piracy By 2013, they had been more or less stamped out.]]
** Another example are the Anarchists, who were an exaggerated caricature of Occupy Wall Street protestors, an organisation whose influence was at its peak during the game's development. In the years since, left-wing protest groups have become a much more polarising presence when it comes to the strength of both their support and opposition. It is very unlikely that Valve today would consider portraying such groups as silly terrorists to be worth the controversy that it would spawn.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As per the standard with Valve, many things get changed during development.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://counterstrike.wikia.com/wiki/Counter-Strike_Wiki The Counter-Strike Wiki]] and [[http://liquipedia.net/counterstrike/Main_Page liquipedia Counter-Strike Wiki]].