The team behind the modification Team Fortress 2 Classic for the multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2 announced that the project will be released under the new name Team Fortress 2 Classified. At the same time, it became known that the release date was shifted from 2025 to January 30, 2026.
The developers explained that several months ago Valve approached them with a request to rename the mod due to the similarity of the name Team Fortress 2 Classic with Team Fortress Classic. The requirement comes amid Valve’s new policy, introduced in September, that the use of the word “classic” in mod names unintentionally created the impression of an official company product.
The process of choosing a new name turned out to be long. The developers sought to preserve the abbreviation and essence of the project, which they associated with the “classics”. The name Classified was chosen because it is not only phonetically similar, but also has a dual meaning: it means “to make something classic” and matches the spy movie theme that characterized early versions of TF2.
Regarding the postponement of the release date, it is reported that it was caused not only by the need for additional polish and extensive testing, but also by uncertainty in the verification process through Steamworks. Since each build can take several weeks to review, the team decided to build in extra time into the schedule to avoid last-minute delays. The developers said they “only have one chance to make a first impression” and they must use it well.
