From Counter-Strike to Co-op: Gooseman on His New Game, the "Saturated" PVP Scene and the future of the genre.
Amidst the roaring chaos of the Gamescom floor, where monolithic booths for the next big PVP shooter blot out the sun, I found a quiet corner to talk with a man who helped build that world. Minh “Gooseman” Le, the co-creator of Counter-Strike, is a legend. His work defined a genre and shaped online gaming for decades. So, it was fascinating to hear him explain, in his calm and measured way, why he’s turned his back on that entire scene to forge a new path with his PVE co-op shooter, Alpha Response.
Alpha Response
"The Market Is Too Crowded"
The first thing I had to ask was the obvious question: "Why PVE?" Why step away from the competitive arena you helped create?
He didn't hesitate. “It's saturated. It's very hard to succeed,” Gooseman told me directly. He sees the modern PVP scene as a minefield for developers, a space where only a few giants can survive. It’s also a personal choice. “With PVP games, I can only play one at a time,” he explained, highlighting the intense focus competitive games demand. PVE, for him, is a frontier of possibilities. He even threw out an idea off the cuff: “Someone can make a really cool Western Cowboy shooter. I mean, nobody's done that.”
"Counter-Strike with PVE"
So what is Alpha Response? I asked him to break down the core concept. His answer was simple and potent: “It’s basically Counter-Strike with PVE,” or as he also put it, a game like “Counter-Strike, but like, Payday.” It’s a fast-paced, four-player co-op shooter where players become elite police operatives taking on high-stakes missions.
The key, he stressed, is the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the gameplay. I brought up how some tactical shooters can feel static, but he explained how Alpha Response avoids that. “While the mission is happening, enemies can drive in with a car, or they can fly in from a helicopter, so it's really, really dynamic.” This isn't a slow, methodical crawl; it's a chaotic, replayable fight for survival across huge, open maps.
The Modder's Promise
Given his roots in the modding scene, my next question was a no-brainer: "Do you have any mod plans for Alpha Response?"
“Oh yeah, I want to do some user-generated content,” he confirmed. While the team is currently focused on polishing the base game before developing an SDK for modders, he made a promise that is depressingly rare these days. “We don’t really plan on selling microtransactions,” he stated firmly. “I’m 99% sure that’s not a path we're going to go down. So it won't conflict with user-generated content.” It’s a clear commitment to fostering a creative community, allowing them to create their own content without having to compete with an official cash shop.
The Future of Firefights
I was curious to get his take on the future of the genre he helped define, so I asked him where he sees FPS games in ten years. He believes the heavyweights like Counter-Strike and Valorant aren't going anywhere, but he doesn't think the next big thing will come from a major studio. “I do think we're going to see another genre come about,” he predicted, “but it's definitely going to come from the modding scene, not from Triple-A.”
For my final question, I had to know if the door to his past was truly shut. "Do you think that you will ever return to the PVP scene?"
He was candid. “I don’t think I will ever come back to competitive shooters. I have the feeling it’s just too difficult and the market is too crowded.”
"So that chapter is closed?" I pressed.
“I would say so,” he concluded. “Unless, of course, I come up with a really innovative style of shooter. But I think 90% I really just want to do PVE stuff more.” And that says it all. The godfather of the tactical shooter has a new mission, and he’s leaving the old war behind.
Want to check out Gooseman his new project for yourself? Just click HERE