Will there be a new CSGO operation as part of the Cache re-release?

On the eve of the re-release of the community-inspired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map Cache, many CS:GO fans are already psyching themselves up for some additional new content to come with it, including perhaps a new Operation. Is there any merit to this idea? Or are fans just running through smoke into the crosshair of disappointment?

Prior to the grand finals of the ESL One New York tournament at the end of September, spectators in the Barclays Center and at home were treated to a first viewing of the re-worked Cache map. CS veterans and map creators Sal ‘Volcano’ Garozzo and Shawn ‘FMPONE’ Snelling joined the analyst desk to show off the leafy overgrowth aesthetics of the re-worked map, as well as demonstrate some of the changes that will affect actual play.

• Read more: Cache map designer reveals fixes coming from pro player feedback

A collection of CSGO pros then filled a server on the newly remodeled map for the first time, and after their showmatch, the map creators said that they would be collecting feedback before the initial release. A little after that, they announced that new Cache would hit the Workshop on October 10. New Cache will come with the s1mple graffiti returned to its rightful spot.

While of course many CSGO players are excited to test out the new map, several are holding onto the idea that the return of Cache won’t be the only change made to the game.

A number of players on the Global Offensive subreddit are itching for a new operation that coincides with the release of new Cache, or one that coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Counter-Strike franchise. The first Counter-Strike was released in November of 1999.

However, most fans are expecting to only be disappointed, and have advised others to not get their hopes up. Their lack of faith in any additional content is evidenced by the fact that new Cache is being released onto the Workshop, instead of being dropped back into active duty. In addition, there’s been no mention of a new operation by any workshoppers, who would have had the opportunity to contribute skins and sprays to the new operation were it in development.

But not all fans are convinced, and many are still insistent that something is in the works behind the scenes. One reddit user referenced videos by Valve News Network, and last month Tyler McVicker, who runs that channel, uploaded a video where he showcased some coding in-game that revealed some major updates to the game that would occur in the next operation.

In a reddit thread he references from around the time he released that video, user JakeBoycometh comments “I’m guessing it will come around when Cache makes a return & will be a part of the operation, just like Nuke was in Wildfire.” The VNN video discusses several potential new pieces of content, including numerous new co-op missions and a couple of new maps, and hints that all of these could be part of the new operation.

So, will there be a new operation? It’s hard to say, as there’s evidence in place arguing for and against a new operation being released. Workshop content creators have provided very little indication that one is happening, but Valve could be keeping them in the dark. The coding discovered by redditors and VNN indicates a lot of potential content in the works, but it might just be test files left in by the developers.

Some fans have their fingers crossed for a new operation to come out tomorrow, but even if it doesn’t come with Cache, it may still be released next month if Valve is planning some sort of Counter-Strike 20th anniversary celebration.