Counter-Strike: Global Offensive officially announced

Convincing rumors started to hit the web late yesterday that Valve was gearing up to announce an all-new Counter-Strike game and, well, it looks like the rumors were true. Just moments ago, Valve officially announced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for PC, Mac and consoles.

Due out in early 2012, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will add updated versions of classic maps in addition to entirely new maps. That’s not all, though – you’ll also get new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leaderboards, new characters, new weapons and more.

The PC and Mac versions will, obviously, release on Steam when it ships next year, but it doesn’t appear that it’ll be getting a retail release for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Instead, Valve intends to release Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on XBLA and PSN.

“Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999,” said Doug Lombardi, VP of Marketing at Valve. “For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS’ award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac.”

Practically nothing is known about the title at the moment, but rumors have it that it’s based on a modern, updated version of the Source engine. We won’t have to wait long to find out, though: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be playable for attendees of PAX Prime in addition to the 2011 Eurogamer Expo.

For now, why not stare at the game’s Steam page?