July 24, 2024:
They have removed the bots for now and the game is actually playable again :)

June 7, 2024:
Team Fortress 2, it is surprising that the game still exists today despite so many other multiplayer-based games over time that have had to shutdown their servers, make new titles, or move on to future projects. It's no surprise VALVE no longer has passion for this series anymore given its current state. However, I think it's worth giving credit to them for allowing the community to keep the game alive through private servers, community content, and dedication. They very well could opt with completely shutting down all their official servers as they no longer have big plans for the game anymore. If you still want to play the game, you are completely able to, just not through conventional methods.

With the game being where it is, official game-modes hosted by VALVE servers are completely unplayable, unless you manage to find a good chunk of human players to remove the bots. Also this issue is only bound to get worse as bots become more sophisticated with AI technologies. Other multiplayer games incorporate invasive but seemingly effective anti-cheat methods, but VALVE seems to hold a strong philosophy against invasion of player privacy that I honestly respect despite this. While the issue of cheating seems simple to fix, I believe it's a lot more nuanced than people realize. This doesn't mean VALVE shouldn't continue to be fighting against this issue though, even if they no longer care for it.

They still continue to run a storefront for this game, a market that they generate revenue from, and yet they have no solution laid out for us on this issue. If they have something in the works years down the line for VAC we are not aware of, I would hope this would be the case. It's not fair to the players that VALVE continues to operate the game as a source of revenue while not fixing the core issue of playing the game. If they don't intend to work on the future of this title, they should just allow the community to work and iterate on the game themselves if they no longer want to. From what I understand, they are a private company that chooses to work on projects however they see fit. If TF2 isn't their priority anymore, let the community fix and enjoy playing it.

At the end of the day, it's their choice in the matter, they own the game and they choose what they want to do with it. But the community isn't asking for a lot, they just want to be able to play the game without any cheaters.

July 24, 2024: They have removed the bots for now and the game is actually playable again :) June 7, 2024: Team Fortress 2, it is surprising that the game still exists today despite so many other multiplayer-based games over time that have had to shutdown their servers, make new titles, or move on to future projects. It's no surprise VALVE no longer has passion for this series anymore given its current state. However, I think it's worth giving credit to them for allowing the community to keep the game alive through private servers, community content, and dedication. They very well could opt with completely shutting down all their official servers as they no longer have big plans for the game anymore. If you still want to play the game, you are completely able to, just not through conventional methods. With the game being where it is, official game-modes hosted by VALVE servers are completely unplayable, unless you manage to find a good chunk of human players to remove the bots. Also this issue is only bound to get worse as bots become more sophisticated with AI technologies. Other multiplayer games incorporate invasive but seemingly effective anti-cheat methods, but VALVE seems to hold a strong philosophy against invasion of player privacy that I honestly respect despite this. While the issue of cheating seems simple to fix, I believe it's a lot more nuanced than people realize. This doesn't mean VALVE shouldn't continue to be fighting against this issue though, even if they no longer care for it. They still continue to run a storefront for this game, a market that they generate revenue from, and yet they have no solution laid out for us on this issue. If they have something in the works years down the line for VAC we are not aware of, I would hope this would be the case. It's not fair to the players that VALVE continues to operate the game as a source of revenue while not fixing the core issue of playing the game. If they don't intend to work on the future of this title, they should just allow the community to work and iterate on the game themselves if they no longer want to. From what I understand, they are a private company that chooses to work on projects however they see fit. If TF2 isn't their priority anymore, let the community fix and enjoy playing it. At the end of the day, it's their choice in the matter, they own the game and they choose what they want to do with it. But the community isn't asking for a lot, they just want to be able to play the game without any cheaters.