Despite Counter-Strike still being one of the most popular online games over a decade its initial release as a Half-Life mod, Valve has announced they are going to work on a new game in the series. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is planned for a Q1 release in 2012.

It is unclear whether Counter-strike: Global Offensive is an update or a completely stand alone game, but Valve has invited notable names from the world of eSports into their offices to test current builds. If you can manage some scrolling and figuring out very long threads of communication, there is an AmA (Ask Me Anything) over on Reddit with a person who claims to have been invited and played Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

If you’re too lazy to go check that link above, here’s a list of what we know so far:

• Planned release in Q1 2012
• Release on PC/Mac, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
• New Matchmaking system
• 5v5 competitive play
• Defuse and Hostage map types confirmed
• Competitive and Casual modes
• Ranked and ladder play for individuals and teams
• Dedicated servers
• Gameplay has elements similar to both CS:S and CS 1.6
• Bullets will penetrate walls a la CS 1.6
• No iron sights
• Inclusion of updated classic maps including: Dust, Dust2, Inferno, Nuke Aztec, Train
• New Grenades: Molotov (creates fire on path), Decoy (emits fake weapon sounds)
• Old weapons will get an upgrade
• New weapons added