‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’ player numbers drop since Prime Status changes

nme.com:

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) has seen a player count drop of close to 17% on Steam since Valve started charging for Prime Status.According to SteamCharts, CS:GO saw a drop of 16.75% (that’s 110,541.8 users) in its player numbers from May to June this year.

This drop has persisted, with the last 30 days on the chart having an average player count of 537,011.6 (-2.25% from June).Whilst unconfirmed, the large drop off in player numbers is likely due to Valve’s recent decision to charge players for Prime Status.

This is a feature that allows players to match with other Prime Status members and receive specific rewards, with players level 21 or above able to use Prime.