Valve has partnered with China’s Perfect World to bring CS:GO to Chinese gamers. This is the second time the developer has partnered with Prefect World to bring one of its games to the Chinese masses. The first time was years ago when Dota 2 first arrived in China. 

CS:GO has long been a powerhouse in the esports sphere, but strict Chinese censorship laws have kept the game from the world’s most populous country for years. Of course, there have been ways for Chinese gamers to get their hands on the game, but its never had dedicated Chinese support or servers like it does now. The game is releasing as technically free when you sign up for a CS:GO account through Perfect World, but there is a catch. Chinese players will have to “complete a quick identity verification process” in order to download the client. According to the Esports Observer, this means the game will be tied to a player’s Personal Identification number, phone number and banking account number. That means if you get caught cheating, your credit rating could potentially take a big hit. And of course that’s on top of the permanent ban you’ll receive.

On the bright side, Valve has promised that “Perfect World players who join us in the first month will receive a free graffiti pattern and two free stickers, featuring art created by Perfect World.”

With CS:GO‘s launch into the Chinese market, there’s one company that should be especially worried. SmileGate, the makers of Crossfire, should expect to see a sizable drop in revenue thanks to the arrival of Valve’s biggest FPS. Crossfire has been a money making machine for the past dedicated, thanks almost exclusively to its dominance in the Chinese market. Now the game is getting older and is likely to have a hard time competing with the new kid on the block.

Valve made one other announcement along side its Chinese news. According to the company,  the new Spectrum 2 Case is now available to all CS:GO players worldwide. Included in the case is “a series of community-designed weapon finishes, with a rare special item from the second generation of knives in Chroma finishes.”