CS2 players mock open letter calling for default female skins

The Counter-Strike 2 community has targeted an open letter to Valve asking for female representation in the game.

The Astralis women’s Counter-Strike 2 team has released an open letter to Valve calling for the introduction of female default agents in the game. CS2 currently only has one model for those who don’t have cosmetics, which is a man in a balaclava.

Multiple multiplayer titles in the modern age have customizable characters where players can select between gender and race, or random default skins that swap between different genders and races. Counter-Strike 2, which is an updated version of the Counter-Strike franchise that has run for decades, does not have that level of customization.

The letter said that the players do not feel represented in the game, and it would benefit Valve to add female default agents.

“We believe women would start playing the game if there were default free female agents, and at least those of us playing now would feel more welcome,” the letter said.

CS2 players mock open letter to Valve

The community around the game and esport have not taken to the open letter kindly, mocking the players for asking Valve to do such a thing.

“Optimizing the game and fixing the cheating problem is how you bring in more players, I have never heard anyone say “I don’t play CS because there’s no default female agents,” one CS2 content creator said.

I mean, why not, but let's not pretend like adding default female agents is going to bring in players 😅

Optimizing the game and fixing the cheating problem is how you bring in more players, I have never heard anyone say "I dont play CS because there's no default female agents"

— Ozzny (@Ozzny_CS2) February 28, 2024

Others joked that the letter “assumed” the default skin’s gender, and also pointed them toward the cosmetic store tab.

“So if you actually go to Steam and then click market you can purchase female agents from there,” one long-time player said.

Some in the community have come to defend the letter, with one of the community’s most prominent insiders, neL, weighing in.

Yes, I think Valve have more important things to do in CS.

But women agents don't change the game, I don't understand why people are mad at girls wanting some representation. Half of Valorant agents are women and everything is fine. It won't change our lives, grow up. https://t.co/PoA5AClsnk

— neL (@neLendirekt) February 28, 2024

“Yes, I think Valve have more important things to do in CS. But women agents don’t change the game, I don’t understand why people are mad at girls wanting some representation. Half of Valorant agents are women and everything is fine. It won’t change our lives, grow up,” neL said.

Whether Valve will take action has yet to be seen. The company competes with games like Valorant, Call of Duty, and Overwatch, which all have a wide range of diverse casts for players to choose from in-game.

However, Valve has historically turned a blind eye to player suggestions and has a unique management structure for these kinds of decisions.