How CS2 almost got Deadlock’s stupid cheat penalty

Valve didn’t celebrate CS2’s first birthday, but it did roll out a brand new cheat penalty for the cousin game Deadlock. Here’s why CS2 fans are upset.

On September 27, Counter-Strike 2 turned one years old. Thanks to a string of leaks over the past few months, fans had expected a shiny new operation or at least a skin case to commemorate the event. However, they were met with radio silence instead. While this silence was upsetting enough, Valve released a big patch for Deadlock, adding a hilarious but impactful cheat penalty.

Instead of banning cheaters outright, Valve now lets Deadlock players turn them into frogs mid-game. This progressive approach delighted Deadlock fans, but CS2 players are upset for another reason.

Deadlock cheat penalty has upset CS2 players

Deadlock’s new cheat penalty, where bad actors get turned into frogs, was originally meant for CS2.

CS2 has a big cheater problem, and it’s no secret. For a long time, fans have been asking for an upgrade to outdated anti-cheat to no avail. Valve’s decision to roll out a cheater-combating feature for Deadlock added insult to injury, but it wasn’t the core issue that upset them.

Soon after the news hit the web, a former Valve employee revealed that Valve originally planned this feature for Counter-Strike. Initially called “FU surprise mode,” the feature would let players turn a cheater into a chicken. For whatever reason, the feature never made the cut for CS2. However, Valve has now rolled it out for Deadlock.

The revelation from an ex-employee has put a bad taste in the mouths of CS2 fans who didn’t even get an acknowledgment of the game’s first birthday, let alone an update. The news that a highly anticipated feature, initially intended for CS2, was instead released in Deadlock has indeed poured salt in the wound.

As always, hopeless players are still coping by assuming that CS2’s X banner of a resting chicken could mean that Valve has been working on a cheat penalty similar to Deadlock’s for CS2 all along. But it’s a far-fetched idea.

Deadlock’s cheat penalty almost made its way to CS2, providing insight into why Valve ultimately removed VAC from both CS2 and Dota 2.