Valve has finally released the Highlight Souvenir Packages for the BLAST.tv Austin Major. The packages allow players to open an item with a “Souvenir Charm” linked to a specific highlight in the playoffs.
The highlights function as a video which can be played as a video in the game’s inventory screen and when spectating a player with a Souvenir Charm.
When announcing the concept, Valve described the idea in the following terms: “Souvenir Highlight Packages contain a souvenir weapon with an attached charm that features a video highlight from the playoff map you selected.”
Players can get the charms, which contain videos of some of the most iconic moments from the BLAST Austin Major, such as 910’s ace against Vitality, zont1x’s 1v2 clutch vs Mouz, and even Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire giving the crowd the finger prior to the Grand Final.
There’s only one hitch: players have noticed that not all highlights are created equal.
Souvenir Charm “highlights”
Some Counter-Strike players have been somewhat surprised by the “highlight” included on their Souvenir Charms. While you might expect an Ace, a sick clutch, or a ninja defuse, some players have received players missing shots or simply dying without doing anything.
The lowlights don’t seem to be an error from Valve. At least some seem to be tongue-in-cheek surprises for CS2 players, who have shared their somewhat unique clips on social media.
Amongst them is Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev’s missed no-scope then knife attempt vs The MongolZ as FaZe drifted towards elimination at the Major. X user dingleCS2 posted the charm video, entitled ‘Wrong Weapon’, stating, “I got the best highlight charm.”
s1mple replied sarcastically to the inclusion of the clip, tweeting “Thank you for adding my 2 misses, rename it to – ‘What you see is what you get’ Thanks.” ‘What you see is what you get’ satirises the original announcement of CS2’s Subtick system, which included the phrase in the promotional video.
What do you think, did Sasha hit those shots? s1mple certainly thinks so.
Elsewhere, players have shared charms which show apEX’s ill-judged attempt at trigger-discipline, unspectacular single kills, or ZywOo dying while scoped, without any conceivable “highlight” to speak of.
Fans praise out-of-server highlights
One unexpected aspect of the Souvenir Highlights is that the video content is a collaboration with BLAST. Rather than taking the in-server point of view from GOTV, for example, the charms use the tournament broadcast, meaning the highlights include commentary, fan reactions, and even highlights that don’t take place in the game at all, like apEX’s gesture.
Counter-Strike players seem to enjoy that aspect, noting the benefits of conveying hype moments, with casters excited that they are in, or may one day be in the game. With Canadian caster Conner ‘Scrawny’ Girvan and British caster Travis ‘Trav’ Landaw Mott celebrating the implementation.
Major-going fans have even spotted themselves in crowd reactions, placing them eternally in Counter-Strike. What a feeling.
Tier one Counter-Strike returns at IEM Cologne on the 23rd of July. Check out of Esports Betting Sites for all the odds.
Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.