Whether known as the Green Meanie, the Magnum Sniper or the AWP, Accuracy International’s Arctic Warfare is one of gaming’s most iconic sniper rifles, with its identity tied to one of the biggest FPS franchises of all time, Counter-Strike. But how did such a niche rifle become an FPS and eSport legend? And was it really built by three men in a shed in England?
In this episode of Loadout, Dave Jewitt visits the Royal Armouries to talk to Keeper of Firearms & Artillery Jonathan Ferguson, finds out the AWP’s origin from one of its creators Dave Walls, and hears what made Counter-Strike’s weapon designer Minh ‘Gooseman’ Le pick the AWP all the way back in 1999.