There's a new Counter-Strike coming to Steam this year, now with zombies

Nexon Europe will release a new zombie-themed, free-to-play online game based on Valve's first-person shooter franchise, Counter-Strike, called Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies, the developer announced today.

The game will be available via Steam in Q3 of this year in Europe, North America, Oceania and the CIS region. Nexon: Zombies will introduce "quick, aggressive and dangerous" zombies and includes Counter-Strike's original Hostage Rescue and Bomb Diffusion modes.

"Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies is a thrilling and easy-to-play game that reaches out to all players," said Nexon Europe CEO Kenny Change. "Both players who are new to the game, as well as those that have been logging onto classic FPS games for years, will be surprised with the new action it offers"

Counter-Strike began as a Half-Life mod in 1999 before being adopted by Valve for a full release. Players face off on opposing teams to complete objectives and annihilate the competition. Following the game's success, Valve released sequels such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Nexon was responsible for several Counter-Strike spin-offs as well, including Counter-Strike Neo and Counter-Strike Online.

At Gamescom this year, the Electronic Sports League will hold the second tournament for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive featuring players from all over the world. Global Offensive was released in 2012 for Mac, PlayStation Network, Windows PC and Xbox Live Arcade; the game is currently in development for Linux.