In 1999, Minh Le built Counter-Strike in his Canadian dorm. It’s now a billion-dollar esports hit.

Le modded Valve’s Half-Life into the tactical shooter, adding a key twist—permanent deaths per round—to boost urgency. With co-creator Jess Cliffe, he released a free 1999 beta; its growth was explosive, fueled by Le’s earlier modding hype. Valve, impressed, bought the rights and hired Le as a remote contractor while he finished school at Simon Fraser University near Vancouver. Backed by Valve, the game got smoother maps and fewer bugs without losing its charm.

Counter-Strike spawned sequels and inspired title like Valorant and Overwatch. It helped build esports, with pro player Tarik calling its rounds “emotional roller coasters.”

Le left Valve after working on a CS2 prototype, later making games like Tactical Intervention. In June 2025, he nervously joined a CS playtest at a Texas conference—admitting he hadn’t played the game he created in a decade.