Nexon has announced that it's working on Counter-Strike Online 2, a sequel to its 2007 adaptation of Valve's landmark FPS. Like its predecessor, the game will be developed by Nexon's Korean wing with oversight from the Seattle rights-holder, whose enhanced Source Engine will power the sequel. Nexon will publish the game in Japan, Korea, China and Southeast Asia; Valve, listed as US distributor of the original, hasn't yet announced plans for the sequel.
Above: Exactly the same thing as the terrorists/CTOs you know and love to shoot, just... different
Counter-Strike Online sees players competing in a range of FPS scenarios, including new modes and setups imported from Valve's original. The game utilized a microtransaction-driven model before such strategies had become a Western buzzword, utilizing indelicately-titled GASH credits to price in-game weapons, skins and powerups. It's something of a success story for Maplestory developer Nexon, boasting concurrent user-counts of 50,000 in Korea and ten times that in China. Nexon hopes its “proven development expertise and deep understanding of local markets” will propel the sequel to even greater success in the Asian market.
Players outside Nexon's target market can keep up with Counter-Strike through our most recent Counter-Strike: Global Offensive preview.
