Have you ever wondered how many skins there are in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive? Hundreds or maybe even a thousand? Odds are, there are a couple of criminals hiding in this embarrassment of riches. That’s exactly what the CS.MONEY Blog is going to talk about today. Meet the five weapon finishes that are part of the game but violate Valve’s rules.
What are the rules?
Valve published an FAQ about the Workshop. Among the answers there, we found a specific list of rulers concerning why certain works aren’t accepted by the devs for that next case. We searched for violators based on this very list. And, of course, these ‘offenders’ aren’t really much of offenders, as all the items below deservedly made it into the game.
Whiteout skin series
Valve won’t accept single-color designs, whether it be white, black, or any other color. This decision has its concrete and clear-cut reasons. That’s why the release of skins like Whiteout is simply impossible. But wait a minute… Is it, really?
Presently, the Whiteout skin family consists of three members: MP7 Whiteout, P250 Whiteout, and USP-S Whiteout. Since they dropped in 2013, 2015, and 2021, respectively, chalking it up to the changes that the rules underwent over time won’t work. Though it should be noted in Valve’s defense that it wasn’t from the Workshop that these finishes surfaced in the game. They were released by the company itself, so from a strictly technical perspective, the rule at hand wasn’t violated at all.
Golden AK-47
Valve spoke separately about their refusal to accept golden skins. They say these are already in stock and will only appear in the game on a special occasion. Sounds reasonable. The FAMAS Commemoration abides by this principle. The golden FAMAS was released for the twentieth anniversary of the series, and there’s no denying that’s a solid enough reason.
That doesn’t apply for the AK-47 Gold Arabesque, though. The gun came out as part of Operation Riptide and made its way into The 2021 Dust 2 collection. The funny thing is, there are no golden skins in the original Dust 2 collection, nor among any of the other operation skins. Besides, it was a long while before the CS:GO anniversary when the operation dropped, too. All that regardless, the golden AK still made it into the game.
M4A4 Howl, a must on this list
Another ‘red flag’ on the list of Valve’s questions are copyright issues. The company is very particular about this matter and won’t allow any such items in the game. But in reality, they have! Let’s talk about the most famous finish of this kind, the M4A4 Howl.
The skin emerged in the game on May 1, 2014. A month later, it turned out that the design used someone else’s artwork. A direct violation of Valve’s rules! Valve found a curious way out of this situation. First, the devs updated the looks of the finish. From then on, the artwork was original. Second, the item was removed from everything except the already-existing guns in-game. This immediately rendered it one of the rarest skins in the game!
All subsequent copyright conflicts were resolved in a less drastic manner. Problematic elements or entire skins were simply redrawn — and that’s it! Nevertheless, they all formally violated company rules simply by being present in the game.
‘Original’ AWP Fade
The company itself claims that the best way to make a skin part of the game is to demonstrate your creativity in designing looks. A noble cause and an interesting criterion. However, it’s not completely problem-free. Some patterns are used in several finishes at once. For instance, there are four skins in the Hyper Beast series!
In any event, Hyper Beast is on the verge of extinction compared to the next pattern. The Fade skin series includes six weapon skins and twenty-one knives! And that’s only counting the regular gradient from gold to pink! Sure, the skins look nice, but what about their ‘originality’? Another exception to the rule.
Anime in my CS:GO: AUG Akihabara Accept
Another reason why a skin won’t make it to the next case is its failure to match the overall tone of the game. This is a solid criterion. After all, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a competitive shooter in a down-to-earth setting. Special units in helmets, villains in shirts and pants bough at the nearest store — no kidding around. Imagine how ridiculous a combatant would look with a toy-like shotgun or a machine gun evocative of Doom Eternal. It’s a good thing there are no such skins in the game! Presumably, at least…
But look at the Akihabara Accept’s AUG. Anime girls on a skin! Even in its collection dedicated to Japanese culture, Akihabara Accept looks like a black sheep. All these weird-ass characters, that special forces fighter in the form of a shōnen maiden, and phrases from players’ slang — it looks strange and not in the slightest compatible with the tone of the game.
The abovementioned skins may not have had the right to get into the game, but it’s a good thing that they did. How could you possibly have anything against the ‘golden AK’ or the beautiful gradient on Fade knives? We think it’s downright impossible. These are incredible weapon finishes. By the way, if you want to buy one for your collection, visit CS.MONEY. We have a huge selection of skins and handy filters that’ll help you find the skin of your dreams and become its happy owner.
