Chet Faliszek, writer for Valve, has said that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is all about skill, rather than RPG-like stats that would otherwise give players an advantage.
“The overriding thing about Counter-Strike is it’s about skill, and it’s about your abilities,” Faliszek told Destructoid.
"When you jump into a game it’s not that hey, this guy you’re playing against has played a thousand more hours than you and has a bunch of new weapons that you don’t have, or some skill you haven’t earned yet. You have every thing he has and he has everything you have as the round starts."
Faliszek also mentioned that Valve is emphasizing on competitive play, with the introduction of ranked matchmaking based on player skill, so players can find an equally challenging match to play each round.
“So if you are scared that it’s going to be that brutal, that you’re going to have you arse handed to you and you’ll have to walk away from it, remember that you’re going to be playing with the same skill as you,” he said.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is expected to have a 2012 release on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, PC and Mac.