Counter-Strike: Legacy faces potential legal issues with Valve

After Valve tanked the Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive project after nearly 8 years of development time, another project inspired by Counter-Strike faces threat as a potential legal issue with Valve has arisen.

The team of Counter-Strike: Legacy, a "fully standalone remake of Counter-Strike 1.6, built from the ground up on Valve's official Source Engine SDK", has received a remark from a Valve employee suggesting they might not be able to use the the Counter-Strike IP without a separate license, even though the project allegedly follows Valve's Source SDK license and Steamworks guidelines, which allows the use of Valve's IP for free projects.

Counter-Strike: Legacy's team believes this issue stems from a misunderstanding or possibly a recent internal shift at Valve regarding how they interpret SDK licensing and IP use. Therefore, the team has contacted Valve’s legal department for an official clarification but received no response. In the meantime, they’ve already refunded donations and are prepared to pivot the project into an original IP, using engines like Godot or Unreal, if Valve denies permission.

They also suggested that if they are forced to move away from Counter-Strike, they will develop a new FPS game inspired by classic shooters, with different maps, weapons, etc. The team has also stated that the early access to the game could be delayed to the start of 2026.