In March 2023, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players spent $100 million on loot boxes
After the announcement of Counter-Strike 2 players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive not only set a record for the number of simultaneous users in the network, but also spent a record amount on in-game purchases. In March 2023, they purchased 39.5 million cases of CS:GO worth $100 million. This is a record for the entire time of the game’s existence.
The statistics were provided by CS:GO Case Tracker, which tracks Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lootbox transactions. According to the site’s estimates, 39.5 million cases were unpacked in March 2023, which is about 17 million more than in February 2023.
As you know, some cosmetic items for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can cost a lot of money. For example, there are currently enough lots in the Steam store in the CS:GO category with value more than UAH 70,000, and recently a rare AK-47 skin was purchased for $160,000. For someone, buying and opening CS:GO loot boxes on camera is a business, for someone, it is an indulgence of their own impulse shopping habit. But for Valve, it is a constant and almost endless source of income.
In any case, judging by the hype surrounding Counter-Strike 2, the new part of the game is expected to be a great success.
As a reminder, Counter-Strike 2 was announced at the end of March, and the game should be released in the summer of 2023. Now Valve is selecting CS:GO players according to its own criteria to participate in the “limited testing” of Counter-Strike 2.