Nvidia driver's 'csgos2.exe' reference reinvigorates CS:GO update speculation

pcgamer.com:

A long-circulating rumor that Valve is preparing to release a new version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on its latest game engine was boosted this week after data miner Aquarius found a config profile(opens in new tab) called «Counter-strike 2» in Nvidia's latest drivers. The profile references «csgos2.exe,» and there's really not much that could stand for besides «CS:GO Source 2.» (Unless… CS:GO Splatoon 2 crossover?)

I had a peek at the driver data using Nvidia Profile Inspector(opens in new tab) and can confirm that the csgos2.exe profile is there (I don't know why anyone would make that up, but it's the internet, so I checked). A more explicit reference to a CS:GO «source2» Nvidia config was also posted on Twitter by Gabe Follower(opens in new tab), whose name perhaps helps explain why the Valve founder hides out in New Zealand sometimes.

None of this necessarily means that a Source 2 version of CS:GO is imminent, but it wouldn't be surprising. Dota 2 moved to Source 2 all the way back in 2015.

CS:GO will probably end up on Source 2 eventually, so the bigger question may be how much it matters. When Dota 2 moved to Source 2, Valve added the Custom Games feature, which was a pretty big deal that ultimately led to the creation of the autobattler genre. But I've already played bizarro Mario Party in CS:GO, so custom games are well covered by the CS:GO map-making and modding community. Maybe Valve will add something else exciting whenever it brings CS:GO to its latest tech, but if it's really just an update to the machinery beneath de_dust, the average player may not notice much when the switch happens.

Actually, Gabe Follower recently tried porting CS:GO to Source 2(opens in new tab) himself in lieu of an official