According to data from a tracking site, over 400 million loot boxes were opened in Counter-Strike 2 in 2023. This would earn the Steam giant Valve about 900 million euros just from the sale of keys. Players complain: Valve makes so much money from the “Case Openings” in Counter-Strike that they no longer care about the quality of the game.
Where do the numbers come from?
- The numbers come from “CS2 Case Tracker” and apply to the year 2023.
- The numbers do not include all loot boxes: The 900 million euros come only from “Key Sales” on Steam.
- Money that Valve earns from selling cases through the Steam marketplace or through the CS2 store, such as from the sale of the “Anubis Collection Case,” is not included in the revenues. The “Anubis Collection Case” is opened without a key.
Revenue nearly doubled compared to 2022
What is special about the numbers? Compared to 2022, Valve’s revenues have roughly doubled.
This is also due to the fact that the announcement and release of Counter-Strike 2 sparked enormous hype around loot boxes. In April 2023, an extremely high number of boxes were opened; a test for CS2 took place here: On April 25 alone, 6.6 million loot boxes were opened.
In October, shortly after the release of Counter-Strike 2, there was another peak in the number of loot box openings.
Additionally, the prices for loot boxes in CS:GO have increased significantly, by 178%, as reported by CS2 Case Tracker. The loot boxes “Dreams & Nightmares” alone earned 126.3 million $.
“Infinite Money Glitch” for Valve
This is the discussion: Players are asking on reddit: “Why should we improve the game when we can get the same money for doing nothing?”
The sale of cases is described as an “Infinite Money Glitch” for Valve.
Twitch streamers and YouTubers are also criticized for participating instead of advocating for a “better game”.
What’s behind it: Such loot boxes have been viewed critically in public for several years because they operate with gambling mechanics. In CS:GO/CS2, it is particularly severe, as there is significant trading with skins, and it genuinely resembles a lottery with major prizes and duds.
However, while EA has been heavily criticized for loot boxes in FIFA or Star Wars: Battlefront, Valve seems largely spared from such criticism:
- EA was accused of exploiting “America’s love for Star Wars” to lead children into gambling.
- The ZDF Magazin Royale has strongly criticized streamers for buying loot boxes in FIFA.
In Counter-Strike, however, loot boxes appear to be established and usually do not provoke controversies.
The quality of Counter-Strike 2 probably has little to do with the enormous financial success of Counter-Strike 2. The game is viewed critically: on Metacritic, it received 8.3 out of 10 points from critics, but only 4.2 out of 10 points from players.
