CS2s Future

[Frezmo]

By all accounts CS is not a dying game and has very high player counts. Currently whilst writing this there are roughly 890,000 players according to the steam charts (subject to change) which a peak of over 1.1 million 30th Dec 2023.
Considering Val is the “competition” for this game it has a currently player account of 780,000 also subject to change depending on when you view it.

CS is doing better than Val but will it always?

I see countless threads of people complaining about false bans, cheaters, certain nationalities etc which has always happened since the start of the game in over a decade ago. However it seems as of the game is having a decline in veteran players but an increase in newer players based on my own perception as a player and seen within my own gaming friend group.

So the question stands, is the game dying for veteran players or booming for newer players? I can not find statistics on this anywhere but it is just some food for thought.

As a long time player I have grown board of PUGGING which is the core of what the game has to offer.

As a veteran player what could valve do to make you stay opposed to flooding the game with newer players.

If valve introduced CS2 teams at a more amateur and entrance level for rank rather than winnings and reputation I think it would do great things for those who have played the game for a long time but never had the time to dedicate to an ESEA level team.

What are your guys thoughts on this and do you think there are less and less old players and more and more newer players? Or, do you simply think if waffling?