Valve have released a lengthy statement detailing their decision, after the news broke yesterday that Valve had decided to stop allowing CS:GO teams to use coaches in-game at their Majors.
The community’s reaction has been overwhelmingly negative, and while Valve acknowledges the fact that this change will present short term difficulties for the scene, they emphasize their belief that the new rule will help “any team of 5 players that demonstrate excellence in all skills of CS,” rather than just those that can afford to pay a sixth player to coach.
While some argue that coaching has been a part of the scene for far too long, Valve say that they never intended for a coach to be anything more than “focused on activities traditionally associated with coaching, such as preparation, support, opponent study, etc.”
Things have obviously gone beyond that already, and Valve say they received a forwarded email from a coach “representing some top teams” sent to “an event organizer” on Aug. 8, “stating that the status-quo was no longer acceptable and that they insisted on more in-game access for coaches during their events.”
After receiving the letter, Valve said it became clear to them that there was an over-emphasis on relying on in-game coaches, overlapping too much with what they call “player responsibilities,” and they thought that it was time to step in.
With the next Major not yet announced, those teams and players affected will have time to prepare new or changed rosters that incorporate an IGL into their five man lineup.
