FACEIT is bringing back a nostalgic feature from Counter-Strike's past with a limited trial beginning August 5th. The popular third-party matchmaking service will test halftime voice communication between opposing teams during the launch of Season 9.
The decision came after FACEIT put the question to their community through a public vote. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with nearly four out of five players supporting the trial at 79% approval.
This feature harks back to the early days of competitive Counter-Strike. Valve removed the ability for opposing teams to communicate during official matches back in 2015, coinciding with the end of Operation Bloodhound. According to FACEIT's announcement, many players have missed this social aspect of the game since its removal.
The trial will be mandatory for all players during the testing period, with no opt-out option currently available. However, FACEIT noted that an opt-out feature could be implemented depending on the results. It's important to note that only standard FACEIT matchmaking games will include this feature. ESEA League matches, Club matches, and other competitive formats on the platform will remain unaffected.
The experimental period will run for exactly one week, concluding on August 12th. Following this, FACEIT plans to review player behavior metrics, including report frequencies and toxicity patterns, before making a final decision on whether to keep halftime voice chat as a permanent feature.
