Instead of finally announcing Half-Life 3, Valve has confirmed suspicions something was up with the Counter-Strike franchise the studio has left alone for a few years now.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a brand-new installment being developed in conjunction with Hidden Path Entertainment, the developers behind Defense Grid.
It's been 12 years since Counter-Strike first burst onto the scene as a Half-Life mod, but it returns early next year on PC, Mac, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network (yes, consoles--cue the angry PC crowd!).
If you're at the Penny Arcade Expo later this month, though, you'll get to play it far ahead of release.
Valve hasn't released any screen shots of the game yet, only the logo. The studio said Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will feature "new maps, characters, and weapons," "updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.)," and "new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more."
A downloadable shooter from Valve? Count us in.