As Counter-Strike celebrates its 25th anniversary and Valve advances with Counter-Strike 2, co-creator Minh Le reflects positively on the game’s journey. In an interview with SpillHistorie, Le, who originally developed Counter-Strike alongside Jesse Cliffe, commends Valve for their stewardship of the franchise.
He expresses satisfaction with how Valve has preserved the legacy of Counter-Strike, highlighting the successful transition from a mod to a standalone title.
Counter-Strike began as a mod for Half-Life, a transformation that came quickly when Valve acquired the project. The first beta of the game was released in 1999, marking the start of its standalone journey. Le, who conceived the idea for Counter-Strike in 1998, drew inspiration from classic arcade games like Virtua Cop and Time Crisis, as well as from playing Doom and Quake extensively.
Le speaks highly of his time at Valve, noting the significant impact it had on his professional development. He admired Valve’s reputation and appreciated the opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s top developers. The experience at Valve was formative, providing Le with skills and insights he feels he could not have gained elsewhere.
Reflecting on the development of the original game, Le is particularly surprised by the success of the map “DE_Dust.” The map, which became iconic, was not initially expected to dominate the game, though its creator invested considerable effort into refining its design. This map’s unexpected success is a notable point of discussion for Le.
Le also humorously mentions a personal regret regarding weapon balance in the game, specifically the AWP sniper rifle. He feels it has become overused and developed a dominant role within the game’s meta, a balancing issue he wished he had addressed during the original development.
