When Valve added two new collections to Counter-Strike 2, many people were happy to see new skins. But there are a couple dozen people who were on cloud nine. That is because they are the creators of skins. Today, the CS.MONEY Blog talked to Quzga, the man behind the R8 Revolver Monarch skin in the Spy Tech collection. Enjoy!
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First reaction: Surprise and Shock
What was your first reaction when you found out Monarch was accepted? Were you surprised that Valve picked this exact one of all?
It was quite the day to be honest. I had just done an all nighter repairing my broken freezer in this extreme heatwave, so I fell asleep early in the evening from exhaustion. I then woke up at 2 a.m. and as I was gonna check the time on my phone half asleep with strained eyes I saw the email notification and was very shocked! Definitely couldn’t fall back asleep after that haha.
I thought for sure it would be my M249 Eavesdrop as I spent the most time on it and a CS developer even liked it. It was definitely my main focus for the spy theme, but when I saw the R8 I was very surprised. I didn’t design it for the theme but tagged it just in case as it had some techy vibes but I never expected it to be even considered for this!
The Lore Behind R8 Revolver Monarch
Why did you choose R8 of all weapons?
We mainly picked R8 because we always liked the idea of polymags, where you see bullets thru mags. Not a unique concept, but no one had done non-standard magazines like the cylinder in R8 so it seemed quite a challenge in itself to keep the illusion as you fire.
What’s the deal with Monarch being white in the Workshop but pixelled with orange in the game?
Well… when I first opened the blog post half asleep on my phone and scanned over the collection image I didn’t even recognize my own skin and was quite confused where it was. It wasn’t until a friend sent me a screenshot when I realized how much they had changed it.
Seems they removed some parts, added a DDPAT-type pattern with binary numbers but kept the normal map, polymag illusion and grip. I guess they wanted it to fit the spy theme better and become a lower tier skin but personally I think just darkening the white would have been a better choice.
Of course I am happy to get a skin in the game, but it was one of my favorite submissions. I think dC and I did a great job on it, so I was a bit disappointed that it was changed so drastically. The community seemed to like it as it was. But in the end it’s not up to me, and it’s their decision so I see it as I’m lucky to be included regardless.
What was the original idea behind “Monarch Corp”? How did you make a cyberpunk/Deus Ex-inspired skin still feel like Counter-Strike?
Well we mainly wanted a skin that felt futuristic but not the point of being pure sci-fi. Look at the Arasaka corporation in Cyberpunk 2077 or the Deus Ex weaponry where everything is somewhat futuristic but still classy. Minimalist colors, yet the high class aspect is defined by gold, symbols and expert engineering. This felt like it would fit into CS without being too much.
Monarch has pattern variants, is there any pattern or seed you personally prefer?
Honestly, I didn’t even know it was pattern based until days after it was released, since It was Valve who added that pattern on top of the white base. I haven’t looked too much and to me it seems most variations look the same outside of binary number locations so not sure if it matters too much to me.
Armory Business Model and Valve Feedback
What do you think about the new flat-fee / Armory model for creators?
Well, a lot of people in the workshop seem upset with it. As far as I know and have been told, it is not a replacement of anything and simply a way to ship your content in the game outside of purely cases. I have been in collections before (Anubis, train) and back then they simply emailed you with a contract and such so it is the same as then but smoother.
However, I do wish we could still get prototype keys for it as I miss having a cool trophy I can feel proud of. Valve did send me one for Train but then took it back after which confused me.
Creators often say Valve gives very little feedback. Did this process feel any more transparent than before?
In my 12 years of workshop, I have not received one single piece of feedback. I have had good and helpful contact though but for the most part they seemed happy with my skins as they were or did changes themselves if needed.
It can be quite hard and mentally taxing to submit skins for years since you never know how close you are. I was close to giving up when I had a 9 year dry streak in 2014-2023. Yet I always kept going as I felt I was improving and enjoyed it. Looking back now, as I’ve had more luck in the last 3 years, I’m glad I kept working!
What is the hardest part of working for months on skins without knowing what Valve actually wants?
Before 2023, it was definitely quite the mental struggle to keep going. The worst was not knowing if I was doing what Valve wants or if I’m wasting my time. I often had nights in bed pondering those thoughts but in the end I decided to just follow my gut and create skins I want to do and hope for the best.
A lot of other workshopers can relate to this feeling. I sometimes describe posting to the workshop as throwing your ideas into a void and hoping something comes back out. It can be disheartening to not get in for a long time and your confidence might waver since you don’t know if you have even been close to getting accepted or not.
Workshop Experience
You’ve been making skins since 2014. What has changed most? Remember your first skins?
Oh yeah I totally remember it all very well like it was recently, doesn’t feel like 12 years ago… I was 17 and bored during summer break. I realized you could make skins at the beginning of 2014 and thought I’d give it a try since I had experience with photoshop.
Posted three skins while not giving it much thought, with the third one being my first accept, P2000 Ivory. I was really shocked when the update came out. I didn’t even know you got paid, so when I was told I thought the person was joking. Definitely changed my life and put me on a different path which I’m forever grateful for.
What advice would you give to new Workshop creators?
My advice that helped me out is never browse the workshop or pay too much attention to what others create. It will mainly just make you overthink yours or make you feel unmotivated. Make skins you want to make, and don’t think about what Valve would want or what has been shipped in the past. They change their taste all the time. Try to be ahead of the curve, not after it.
If you stop enjoying creation, take breaks and enjoy other creative media that might inspire you. Sometimes, a really good game or a movie has gotten me back into it with a fresh mindset and a craving to design some skins. The second you force yourself to make items you will just burn yourself out. Remember that creating art is for your own enjoyment in the end.
What inspires you to make skins?
I’m quite into TV, film, games, history and writing so definitely other creative mediums. Telling a story through a skin is the most important part and what I enjoy the most. It can be as subtle as “what feeling does this convey” to the lore behind the gun i.e., “Who owned this before, where was it used and what for”.
Inspirations, Themed Collections, Dream Theme
What movie, game, or object would you love to turn into a CS skin without licensing issues?
Definitely Alien as it’s my favorite franchise. But to be honest, I don’t think licensing is that important. It is easy to take inspiration without stepping into infringement as a lot of these themes are popular nowadays to the point of being their own genre. However, to be able to brand something with Alien and use their terminology legally would be amazing for sure.
Other than that, I would like to make a cat skin themed themed around cats and created in collaboration with a cat charity. I love cats and have an 18 year old one myself. His name is Exodus, and he has been with me since I was 12!
What do you think about themed requests from Valve?
Having set themes was nice as I always like to give my skins a story and clear theme. Doing research on cold war spy devices and trying to integrate those inspirations into weaponry was fun.
But after a few months it did get quite a bit boring and limiting. So I am glad to be back to doing whatever I want now. I had a lot of ideas written down the last 8 months.
What would your dream CS2 collection theme be?
At the moment my main complaint with the collections is that the themes are too specific. Most of the skins end up looking similar, I think a more broad or vague theme is better.
So personally I would like something like “Cartoon” where it could be a mix of Anime, and other cartoon styles.
But if I really had to pick my dream collection theme, I would have to go with dystopia/apocalypse. I was always fond of this theme in games and TV, such as The Last Of Us. It could have a wide variety of skins. Could be overgrown with vines wrapped around, made up from scrap parts, frozen etc. A lot of creative freedom.
Can you share some of your plans? Maybe activity outside Valve workshop?
For the last 6 months or so I have learnt and gotten into designing CS themed merch, both new and some inspired by my workshop items.
That has been a lot of fun, and really freeing not being tied down to the shape of weapons. And being able to see your work in real life with your own eyes is an amazing feeling.
The one I’m most proud of is the Playmap. It is inspired by 90s play carpets most of us had as kids. The image is a CS city with several maps merged together.
I am also working on my first ever map with some great map artists (Set in London), and some interesting skin projects that I will be releasing over the next 6 months. The project I’m most excited about is our Portal-inspired series and can’t wait to release that one and see people’s reactions.
Сообщение Interview with Quzga, Creator of R8 Revolver Monarch появились сначала на CS.MONEY Blog.
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