Side-by-side pictures prove that the location is undoubtedly the same but also highlight each game’s subtle yet crucial differences. While other studios might have received backlash for reusing the same location in two games released four years apart, this wasn’t just Valve lazily re-deploying the same assets. It all started in 2013, when an eagle-eyed Reddit user spotted the striking similarities between Left 4 Dead 2’s sugarmill and Counter Strike: Global Offensive’s “ sugarcane ”.

Yet, after digging a little deeper, it seems the ties that bind these two beloved universes are actually far stronger. For years, many fans have assumed that this link was merely a fun little Easter egg, and nothing more. It turns out, this unassuming-looking sugarmill quietly connects both of these two seemingly separate universes. You’ve probably already guessed that the second team is, of course, a counter terrorism squad in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but the first? A group of rag-tag survivors from a little game called Left 4 Dead 2. While both groups are patrolling the same building, neither can actually see each other - because their respective missions are taking place weeks apart, in entirely different game worlds. As tensions rise and minutes pass, both groups advance deeper into the facility, until finally, they arrive at the same destination - but, somehow there’s no firefight. The second clears each room with military precision, scanning for targets and expecting an ambush. The weather is getting worse, and the first team has to hurry before the skies open up. Two squads move methodically and quietly into a sugarmill, each not wanting to alert anything to their presence. Yet, despite entertaining millions for over two decades, one ageing map proves that Counter-Strike still has its secrets… In other words, whether you’re an avid PUBG player or spend nights obsessively streaming Call Of Duty tournaments, the influence of this multiplayer masterpiece is evident almost anywhere you find a virtual gun. It’s the shooter that kickstarted esports and even helped developer Valve popularise a little digital distribution platform called Steam.

Counter-Strike has been around for 20 years, and like a particularly well-aimed frag, its impact on the games industry is still being felt today.

Left 4 dead 1 link