Valve Reportedly Buys CS2 Cache Map and Prepares It for Launch

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- Counter-Strike map Cache is apparently returning to the game, according to the creator of the CS2 version of the map FMPONE.
- Cache’s name appearing in CS2’s game files with the latest update suggests that the map was bought by Valve and is set to return to CS.
- Shawn Snelling stated that Valve had previously offered to buy the map once before, sometime between 2013 and 2015.
The Counter-Strike map Cache has reportedly been purchased by Valve and may return to the game soon, according to Shawn “FMPONE” Snelling, the creator of the CS2 version of the map.
Snelling made the comments on X (formerly Twitter) after Cache appeared in CS2’s game files following the latest update, suggesting Valve has acquired the rights and plans to bring the map back into rotation.
When asked to confirm whether or not Cache was returning, FMPONE replied, “Out of respect for the development team, I withheld comment. But they reached out to buy it on day one of release. It was a great honor, and I don’t want anyone to think we hesitated for one moment.”
On top of that, Snelling stated that Valve had previously offered to buy the map once before, sometime between 2013 and 2015. The map’s creators were given the option to either retain control and continue through the Operations or to sell it to Valve. At that time, they chose to ride out the Operations, as the development team was confident in the map’s popularity.
Cache, originally set in a post-Soviet industrial complex, has been a part of Counter-Strike for years and has seen a lot of iterations and updates. In its new iteration, Cache brings updated visuals and optimizations, but the map’s setting around the nuclear disaster site of Chernobyl remains untouched.