The introduction of cases in Counter-Strike completely revolutionized the game and propelled it towards incredible development. In this article, Bo3.gg will analyze and discuss how much Valve earns from cases and skins for CS2.
When did cases appear in Counter-Strike?
Let's go back to the early 2010s when Counter-Strike had long captured the hearts of millions of players worldwide. At that time, the video game world was actively seeking new ways to monetize and support gaming projects. It was during this period that Valve, the developer of CS, began experimenting with a new concept — cases and skins.
The idea was simple yet ingenious: to offer players a chance to obtain unique and colourful in-game items that would alter the appearance of their weapons. Thus, everyone could personalize their armaments, making them more original.
The first cases and skins were introduced in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in 2013. Valve created a system of random case drops at the end of game rounds, where players received them with a certain chance, which could be opened for an additional fee. Inside the case were various weapon skins, each with different rarity and value.
The idea instantly caught on with users. Cases became a kind of lottery, adding an element of excitement to the gameplay. Gamers tried to obtain rare and beautiful skins that could symbolize their mastery in CS.
Over time, the system of cases and skins continued to evolve. Valve released new skin collections, collaborated with renowned artists, and even organized majors where part of the proceeds went to the prize pool, and part went to the development of the gaming scene and support for teams.
Today, cases and skins have become an integral part of CS2 culture. They continue to inspire gamers, create economic activity within the game, and maintain interest in the world of Counter-Strike. The history of their appearance has become one of the brightest chapters in the development history of Valve's shooter.
How many cases were opened in 2023?
Let's take a peek behind the scenes of CS2 and examine the incredible numbers associated with case openings in 2023. There were a very large number of cases opened - 400,318,821 cases. This is remarkably high. Just imagine: 12 cases were opened per second worldwide. In other words, while you're reading this, hundreds of cases have already been opened in the gaming world. And if we convert this into money, the amount is enormous. Each case key costs $2.5, and Valve was able to earn just over a billion US dollars from the sale of keys.
Of course, not all of this money stayed in Valve's pocket. Some of the funds went to various deductions and expenses, including taxes. In the United States, the federal tax rate is 21%, so approximately one-fifth of this huge amount went to the treasury of the United States of America. In addition, there are separate taxes for each state, deductions for artists, and other factors that reduce the total income from case openings. But even after all deductions, there remains a colossal sum, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Most popular cases in CS2
In 2023, the Dreams & Nightmares case was the clear leader in terms of the number of openings — about 13% of all openings were for it. That's an impressive 50.5 million cases! Interestingly, despite such popularity, this case turned out to be one of the least profitable. Users spent $126 million on opening cases, but in return received skins with a total value of only $39 million.
In second place in terms of openings was the Fracture case, and in third place was the Anubis Collection Package. In addition to them, the top five most popular cases of 2023 also included the Recoil and Snakebite cases. Interestingly, all cases except the Anubis Collection Package were available in the weekly drop, which likely contributed to their high popularity and wide distribution among players.
Can opening cases in CS2 be profitable?
In 2023, one billion dollars was spent on purchasing keys to open cases, but did that billion return to gamers? Actually, no. The average return on investment when opening cases was only 43%. This means that from the cases opened last year, skins worth a total of $422 million were obtained. Nearly half a billion dollars!
According to estimates, the current size of the skin market in Counter-Strike 2 is around three billion dollars. Thus, last year, skins worth approximately 1/7 of the entire skin market were obtained. These figures indicate how important and active the in-game items market is in CS2 and the impact it has on the entire gaming ecosystem.
Peak case openings in 2023
In 2023, cases in Counter-Strike 2 peaked three times in popularity. The first peak came in March and was associated with the announcement and release of the first CS2 trailers. During this period, users were particularly excited about the anticipation of the new game and actively opened cases, hoping to obtain unique items.
The second peak occurred in April and was linked to the release of the Anubis Collection Package. This case became one of the most desirable among players. One-tenth of all opened cases during this period were from this collection.
The third peak came in September when access to CS2 became publicly available worldwide. This event sparked a surge of interest in Valve's shooter, and many players rushed to open cases to expand their skin collections.
If we consider case openings by days of the week, Wednesday turned out to be the most popular day for this activity. This is likely because players received cases from the weekly drop and immediately proceeded to open them. Meanwhile, case openings were least common on Mondays. However, it's worth noting that the distribution by days of the week was fairly uniform, with fluctuations of only a few percentage points.
Cases and skins bring millions of dollars not only to Valve but also to other CS2 enthusiasts. Some skins can be a good investment for the future. However, it is worth remembering that one should manage their finances wisely and beware of scammers.
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