Valve Shuts Down Classic Offensive Mod Just Before Launch

After eight years of development, the Classic Offensive mod for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been cancelled following a cease and desist notice. The project, which aimed to recreate the look and feel of classic Counter-Strike using modern tools, was shut down just hours before its planned release.Development began in 2015, and the project was officially approved through Steam Greenlight in 2017, gaining strong community support. The team spent years crafting custom models, maps, and gameplay systems that balanced the nostalgia of Counter-Strike 1.6 with modern performance and stability.Despite this early approval, the developers were recently informed that they could no longer release or continue working on the mod. They submitted a build for review in October 2024 but received a vague rejection in early 2025. When they prepared to launch the mod on an external platform, they were served with a cease and desist.Valve stated that releasing the mod would be considered distributing derivative content, which violates the Steam Subscriber Agreement. Their guidelines around modding have become increasingly strict, limiting what the community can do with existing Valve properties.This stance surprised many, especially considering Valve’s history of supporting mods. The situation feels especially ironic given that the original Counter-Strike itself started as a Half-Life mod. The Classic Offensive team criticized the sudden shutdown and warned others in the modding community to reassess their trust in Valve.Despite the setback, the team launched a website detailing their eight years of development, sharing media, FAQs, and a full timeline of events. Some creators even managed to test the mod before its cancellation.Valve now only allows mods under very narrow conditions. These include content uploaded through the Steam Workshop, maps created using official Valve tools, or standalone non-commercial games built with the Source SDK. Projects outside these rules require direct licensing from Valve.The Classic Offensive team argues that this approach effectively shuts down community-made mods for games like Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead, and Portal, especially those developed independently of the Steam ecosystem.