Counter-Strike: GO drops cross-platform play to allow for frequent PC updates

Newsbrief: Valve Corporation has abandoned its cross-platform play feature for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and will not allow users on Windows/Mac systems, PlayStation 3s, and Xbox 360s to play against each other. The company, which is co-developing the title with Hidden Path Entertainment, said that dropping the feature was necessary as it wants to update the PC version frequently after its launch, which it will not be able to do with the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions. "We need to separate the platforms so one doesn't hamstring the other," said Valve writer Chet Faliszek in an interview with Joystiq. "So for that, we have removed the idea of cross-platform play -- essentially make all platforms stronger by not mixing them." Valve plans to release Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the latest entry for its phenomenally successful Counter-Strike online first-person shooter series, as a downloadable game this summer.