Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Update Nerfs R8 Revolver

Valve has released an update for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive designed to reduce the lethality of the R8 Revolver.

The weapon was introduced on December 8 as part of the Winter Update, but sparked backlash from players when it was discovered the gun has both high accuracy and is capable of killing in a single shot.

Posting on the Counter-Strike blog, Valve explained it eschewed the usual assessment process used to judge weather an item needs to be rebalanced to address the issue.

"On Tuesday we shipped some major gameplay changes in CS:GO including the R8 Revolver, and players have been voicing legitimate concerns over the balance of the weapon as shipped," it said.

"While it typically takes more time to generate enough data to drive an update (and gameplay updates are always a bit disruptive), in this case it’s clear that we got the damage wrong and can respond immediately."

Among the tweaks made to the R8 are an increase in the time it takes to fire the gun and the damage it delivers. Valve noted the weapon, as well as the other changes made in the Winter Update, may still be subject to further tuning in future updates.

"As experience with other new weapons (e.g., CZ75a and M4A1-S) has shown us, it may require several iterations over a longer period to find the stable values that create interesting strategic choices for players. We’re committed to monitoring usage and adjusting the values as required.

"Tuesday’s update also included several other changes to gameplay (including a rebalancing for pistols and rifles). It’s still too early to determine their impact but we’re just as committed to monitoring the new meta and ensuring that as CS:GO continues to evolve, it remains fun, skillful, and balanced."

Global Offensive is one of the most popular games on all of Steam. In September it was the top overall game on the platform with more than 614,000 people playing the game, outpacing even DOTA 2.