FragPunk, the hero-based tactical shooter from NetEase’s Bad Guitar Studio, is in hot water after the release of its latest map, Toyland. The colourful battleground has quickly sparked backlash in the Counter-Strike community, with many players pointing out that its layout is almost a one-to-one replica of Counter-Strike 2’s legendary map, Inferno.
Toyland dropped on August 21, 2025, and at first glance, it looks like a playful playground-themed arena with pastel colours, toy-shaped cover, and fairy lights strung across buildings. But beneath its cheerful surface, the map is nearly identical to Inferno. From the Underpass and Apartments at A to the familiar Mid and box placements at chokepoints, Toyland mirrors Inferno’s geometry and callouts with uncanny accuracy.
FragPunk’s developers just dropped a brand-new map… but it all looks a little too familiar. 👀
Not saying it’s straight out of CS2, but… you see it, right? 😅 pic.twitter.com/91axU9UKuw
— CS.MONEY (@csmoneytrade) August 29, 2025
The Backlash from CS Fans
The similarities were highlighted by CS2 data miner and content creator Gabe Follower, who posted footage of Toyland and called it out as an exact copy.
A week ago, devs of FragPunk released a new map called Toyland, which is a ONE TO ONE copy of CS2’s Inferno. I hope Valve considers taking legal action, cause the fact that they’re taking down community’s 100% free passion projects but allowing a huge chinese publisher NetEase to… pic.twitter.com/bY4b1ffNVb
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) August 27, 2025
Many players share the frustration, especially since Valve recently shut down community mods like Classic Offensive, which aimed to recreate older versions of CS for free. Fans are questioning why passion projects get pulled while a major publisher seemingly gets away with cloning one of Counter-Strike’s most iconic maps.
A Tribute or a Rip-Off?
Not everyone sees it as theft, though. Some players have defended Toyland, saying it could be viewed as an homage to Counter-Strike, much like how CS:GO’s Workshop often featured recreations of Call of Duty maps. For them, the map is less about ripping off and more about paying tribute to a classic.
This isn’t the first time another shooter has borrowed from CS either. CrossFire, another popular FPS, has long been known for maps that copy Counter-Strike layouts, including its Desert 2.0 map in 2014 that was basically Dust II under a different name.
Image Credit: SmileGate Entertainment
FragPunk’s Position in the Shooter Scene
FragPunk itself has been trying to carve out space in the crowded tactical shooter market. Launched in early access in 2024 and fully released in March 2025, the game drew attention with its hero abilities and unique “shard card” system that changes gameplay each round. It peaked at over 100,000 players after launch but has since dropped to under 5,000 average players on Steam.
The release of Toyland has certainly put FragPunk back in the headlines, though not necessarily for the reasons its developers might have hoped. Whether Valve decides to step in or let it slide remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: Toyland has reignited the conversation around originality, inspiration, and intellectual property in competitive shooters.