Counter-Strike [uk] has a short interview with Randy Pitchford, President and lead designer at Gearbox about Counter-Strike: Condition Zero.
Counter-Strike [uk]: Do you think that Condition Zero could split the Counter-Strike community into two camps?Grab it all here. As the saying goes, "one month, a winner is you!@"
Randy Pitchford: This is an interesting question and one that hasn’t been asked yet, but something we’ve thought long and hard about and have made some significant design decisions early in development to prevent.
First, we know that Condition Zero’s key strength is in its single player presentation and incentives. But, since we’re adding new weapons, new High Definition content, new technology and new game-play, there’s tons of reasons for on-line fans to consider the Condition Zero upgrades even if they don’t intend to play the game alone.
Second, Gearbox is closely affiliated with the CPL and has a clear understanding of what makes the game so popular as a hard-core competitive platform. Our additions fit well within those guidelines. We understand the need to innovate and provide new experiences as far as the single player game goes, so we’re focused on that, but we also very much care about the integrity and balance of the competitive platform.
So, to answer your question, I think the community will not only stay centralized, but will grow even larger because we’re taking efforts to make that possible in all directions...