Counter-Strike 2 reportedly in the works, with a beta as soon as this month

It sounds like Counter-Strike 2 might be on the way, with a surprise release possibly as imminent as this month.

This comes from Richard Lewis, a journalist who has accurately reported on a number of Counter-Strike stories over the years (thanks, VGC). Lewis claims that based on what a number of sources have told him that a new version of Counter-Strike is "very real," and also "right around the corner." According to Lewis' sources, this new version of Valve's shooter has been in development for a while, and is very likely to be released under the name Counter-Strike 2 as a working title.

"The tentative release date for the beta is in this month of March with April 1st at the outside," wrote Lewis. The sources also explained that the development of this game has been a priority for Valve, possibly explaining why CS:GO hasn't received much attention for a while. One source told Lewis, "The big priority is getting this out and then polishing it, fixing any bugs and bringing it up to the level people expect from CS."

In terms of specifics you can expect, it's supposedly developed in Source 2 engine, which should improve graphics, though those of you with lower-end PCs might be the trade-off as a result. Match-making is said to be improved, to the extent that third-party pugging services won't be necessary.

This report follows a post from CS:GO and Valve news poster GabeFollower on Twitter, who recently found that in the latest Nvidia drivers, support for app executables under the names csgos2.exe and cs2.exe, leading many to believe that this is in fact for an unannounced CS:GO sequel. Lewis' report supports these claims, but obviously until we get an official announcement from Valve, we'll just have to wait and see what the truth is.