Via HLDS:
Valve- Internal changes to the way the client talks to the Valve gameserver network in preparation for future changes to the matchmaking ping system
Rumor has it:
- The GC is being restarted per a GC message sent out just now: "The item and matchmaking servers will be unavailable for approximately ten minutes for maintenance"
- Crates seem to be dropping again after a long drought of them being missing
- geel9 speculates that these changes could be to do with implementation of the Steam Datagram system, currently used in both Dota 2 (after its Source 2 hybridization) and CS:GO
- It's official, as seen throughout: https://github.com/SteamDatabase/GameTracking/commit/70040ea701cbb7877ef24bea7ed7c0e61a70a779
- This diff also mixes in bits from a Dota 2 update (the 2nd one, specifically), for those of you smart enough to not chain yourself to a single point of failure
- Size is ~30 MB