Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
A hilarious CS2 missing texture glitch is trolling players
William Davis
CS2 upgraded nearly all aspects of Counter-Strike, but one classic missing texture is back to mess with players’ heads. Valve is continuing to drum up hype for the official release of Counter-Strike 2, and the recent map switch to Mirage and changes to the buy menu have piqued players’ interest. However, one tiny bit of polish seems to have flown under the company’s radar. By using a mechanic unique to …
Counter-Strike
Astralis drops CSGO veteran gla1ve in a summer roster revamp
Fariha Bhatti
Astralis is going through a full-fledged rebuild, which means the red banner is dropping its veteran Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander after a seven-year stint. Astralis has undergone multiple changes in the past few years, striving to regain its former glory. However, all roster tweaks have yielded no fruitful outcome. The organization has finally decided to rebuild from the ground up, with the exception of Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz. But fans would be …
Counter-Strike
Stats reveal which country has the best ELO for FACEIT CSGO
William Davis
Think your country has the best FACEIT ELO in CSGO? If your summers are warm, you’re probably wrong. FACEIT ELO is the closest thing Counter-Strike players have to a definitive skill rating. Competition is fierce on the top matchmaking service, and pro players use it to hone both their tournament skills and ELO rating. Europe has always been a hotbed of tactical shooting skill, but as many EU players know, …
Counter-Strike
IEM Fall returns to Sydney after a four year hiatus
Fariha Bhatti
Australia will once again host the high-octane chain of IEM events. The IEM Fall tournament is tied to the inaugural SXSW 2023 festival slated for October. In 2019, when IEM took place in Sydney, nobody knew it would be the last event in Australia for a long time. Despite a thrill-filled arena, IEM didn’t happen on Australian soil for full four years. Now, it’s returning, and players can barely contain …
Counter-Strike
Pros unite in harmony to trash CS2 movement
William Davis
Have you noticed that your movement is a little off in CS2? You’re not alone. CS2 brought a ton of cool changes to Counter-Strike, including enhanced graphics and reactive smokes. But one of the biggest changes has significantly impacted what many pros consider the most important part of the game — and not in a good way. Movement has come under heavy fire from pro players, with many calling it …
Counter-Strike
Massive shotgun and VAC buff added in new CS2 update
William Davis
CS2 is adding a ton of gameplay changes to the Counter-Strike, and the latest update will make shotgun buyers very happy. Valve has finally updated the limited beta test for Counter-Strike 2, swapping out Dust 2 for Mirage and tweaking gameplay to better reflect the new mechanics. Chief among these changes is a massive buff to shotguns, which now blast through smoke grenades similarly to frag grenades. It also includes …
Counter-Strike
Players can now cook chicken roast in Counter-Strike 2
Fariha Bhatti
Craving some chicken? Just load up Counter-Strike 2 and get them freshly roasted in an incendiary! Valve has added a wealth of new content to CS2, and now the developer is clearly going overboard with updates, and we don’t mind. After overhauling loadout and plucking out Dust 2, Valve has added an edible item to CS2, except you can’t actually eat it. Roast chickens are there to be admired and …
Counter-Strike
A new map is finally in the Counter-Strike 2 beta
Olivia Richman
The Counter-Strike 2 beta is finally getting another map. The CS2 beta has been getting some mixed reviews from streamers and pro players, largely complaints about the repetitiveness of the limited content. Competitive players were stuck on one map, Dust II since the beta came out at the end of March. After a while, the single map pool caused the beta’s player count to dwindle. But now, CS2 players are …
CS2 will let players refund guns, equip both CT rifles
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Just when everyone assumed Valve had forgotten about Counter-Strike 2, the developer unveiled jaw-dropping updates. CS2 release date is looming on the horizon, and Valve has started revealing more updates, features, and changes coming to its hit FPS title. After reactive smokes, squeaky-clean visuals, and a sub-tick system, Valve has introduced a new feature inspired by its rival shooter game, Valorant. Valorant has had enough flak for “copy-pasting” CSGO gameplay, …
What do pro players think about CS2? karrigan, NertZ, and more
William Davis
Counter-Strike
CS2 is on its way, but pro players are harshly criticizing everything from its new servers to the headline gameplay change. Counter-Strike 2 will completely change the game when it releases this summer, and it will bring a lot more than just updated graphics. The switch to Source 2 will include a brand-new “tickless” server system along with gameplay changes to smokes. There will be tons to explore, but not …
Jak działa system kwalifikacji do Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 w Counter-Strike 2 to jedno z najbardziej oczekiwanych wydarzeń e-sportowych, przyciągające najlepsze zespoły z całego świata, które rywalizują o tytuł mistrza w tej popularnej grze. 1 maja Valve ogłosiło zestaw zasad dotyczących kwalifikacji do grudniowego CS2 Shanghai Major. Zmiany wywołały mieszane reakcje, gdyż ograniczają one pojawianie się mixów w końcowych etapach kwalifikacji. W tym artykule omawia nowe zasady selekcji do Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 …
karrigan at IEM Dallas, “You will never see FaZe give up”
William Davis
Counter-Strike
FaZe captain Finn “karrigan” Andersen is leaving IEM Dallas with high hopes for the future of Counter-Strike. FaZe Clan had a troubled run at IEM Dallas, running into eventual champion ENCE twice and being eliminated from the tournament in third place. However, the team’s in-game leader is taking the loss well. On championship Sunday, WIN.gg spoke with karrigan to learn his thoughts on FaZe’s new problem matchup, how the squad …
ENCE is the Cinderella champion of IEM Dallas CSGO
William Davis
Counter-Strike
IEM Dallas has found an unlikely champion in ENCE, with the international squad reaching a new peak in 2023. After seven days of intense competition featuring many of the world’s top teams, ENCE has emerged victorious at IEM Dallas. The underdog victory included wins over Complexity, Astralis, and FaZe twice, culminating in a grand final against fellow dark horse MOUZ. ENCE won in two dominant maps, securing the IEM Dallas …
frozen on IEM Dallas grand finals, “Feels great to be back”
William Davis
Counter-Strike
David “frozen” Čerňanský of MOUZ is heading into his first grand final in a long time at IEM Dallas, but he’s as calm as can be. MOUZ is just one match away from pulling off the ultimate Cinderella run in Dallas. The squad has defeated Fnatic, Furia, OG, Astralis, and now event favorite Heroic to earn a spot in the deciding series. Along the way, rifler frozen has put up …
HooXi talks nightmare brackets, pre-match rituals, and CS2 at IEM Dallas
William Davis
Counter-Strike
G2 Esports may be the unluckiest team at IEM Dallas, but captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen isn’t using bracket demons as an excuse. Despite entering as a serious championship contender, G2’s run was ultimately cut short by losses to Heroic in the group stage and FaZe Clan in the playoffs. The star-studded lineup will be leaving Texas in fifth place. Right after the loss, WIN.gg caught a moment with team captain …
blameF reveals his 200 IQ decoy strats at IEM Dallas
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Astralis is out of IEM Dallas, but Benjamin “blameF” Bremer still has his head held high. For most teams, a fifth-place finish at Intel Extreme Masters is something to celebrate. However, Astralis is not like most teams. The historic organization entered the event gunning for a championship but fell short after losing to MOUZ in the quarter-finals. WIN.gg was lucky to catch up with star rifler blameF to talk about …
“I would change the AWP”: NertZ talks CS2 at IEM Dallas
William Davis
Counter-Strike
A fast track to the semifinals is only the start of Guy “NertZ” Iluz at IEM Dallas. ENCE is currently on a roll, triumphing over some of the event’s biggest names to earn an advanced spot in the playoffs. Already guaranteed top four, the team is currently preparing to face the winner of G2 Esports and FaZe, hopefully adding another victory over a top team to its run. WIN.gg sat …
“It’s always a nice feeling to stomp another team”: Heroic’s Jabbi on making HooXi upset at IEM Dallas
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Just before the final three matches of IEM Dallas, WIN.gg caught up with Heroic rifler Jakob “Jabbi” Nygaard. To little surprise, Heroic clinched an advanced spot in the semifinals of IEM Dallas after a dominant group stage run. The tournament favorite cruises past 9z, MOUZ, and G2 Esports to secure a top four placing. On day one of the playoffs, WIN.gg caught up with Jabbi to learn more about his …
nitr0 to leave CSGO, will he return to Valorant yet again?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
After a long career in Counter-Strike, then Valorant, then Counter-Strike again, Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella will be officially retiring from both competitive communities. After returning to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with much fanfare in 2023, the esteemed Team Liquid captain will once again be leaving the game’s esports scene. The player is best known for helping win Season 2 of the Intel Grand Slam in 2019, making him the only North American …
Hiko explains why he called Valorant community “cringe”
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Retired CSGO pro player Spencer “Hiko” Martin thinks Valorant players are cringe, but he has a solid reason to explain why he feels so strongly. The Valorant vs. CSGO rivalry is still going strong, which is pretty healthy for both games to a certain extent. But the fan base is always on the lookout to compare the two titles. This time, Hiko has reignited the debate on his recent CSGO …
Counter-Strike has long been among the biggest titles in esports and competitive gaming, even going back to esports’ deepest roots from decades past. What’s more, the game continues going strong today, with developer and publisher Valve releasing the latest iteration of the franchise in 2023. The newest version, Counter-Strike 2, has not been without its issues. But its popularity continues the enduring prominence of the Counter-Strike series, signaling that the venerated franchise is likely here to stay for many years yet to come.
But how did the franchise come be to so prominent in the esports space, and role does CS2 have to play in the industry moving forward?
Counter-Strike has roots in the beginnings of esports
Counter-Strike was unquestionably one of the biggest drivers of what we would today consider to be early professional esports movement. It was far from alone, and it wasn’t the most advanced. That likely was StarCraft: Brood War, a real-time strategy game from famed developer Blizzard that caught on in South Korea and led to a professional scene in the country well ahead of any examples of esports industry elsewhere in the world.
But outside of Korea, Counter-Strike quickly became the driving force behind competitive gaming and esports. First released in 1999 as a modification for popular first-person shooter Half-Life, the game was easy to pick up and play for many gamers. Half-Life was borderline ubiquitous software for gamers with a PC, and adding a mod to it was as simple as downloading and applying said mod. So it was that Counter-Strike began to catch fire and spread across the world.
As it spread, so too did its competitive play. Early competitions often centered around online play, most prominently including the Cyberathlete Amateur League (CAL) in North America and the Clanbase Eurocup in Europe. But live, in-person tournaments, similar to those enjoyed by StarCraft players and fans in Korea, were also rising in prominence.
Within just a few years, there were a number of major annual tournaments being held for the original version of Counter-Strike. Notable international tournament organizers included the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in the United States, the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in France, and the World Cyber Games (WCG) in Korea. This was in addition to many other regional tournaments through which teams could test their mettle and battle over smaller prizes.
But even at bigger tournaments, prizes weren’t what they are today, and in general there was far less money available to professional Counter-Strike players than there is in today’s thriving esports industry which sees many players and teams playing at the full-time pro level. That’s a far cry from a time when perhaps a small handful of players were able to make a true living through playing CS alone, and even them, it was often a modest one.
Counter-Strike 2 at the fore of a bigger esports scene than ever before
Counter-Strike 2 was released to a far different esports space than that which the original Counter-Strike occupied. But what exactly is it that has changed the scene so much, besides the accrual of years?
Esports betting is at the top of the list. The sports betting industry is growing and expanding around the world each and every year, and esports has absolutely been a part of that. As esports betting continues to grow and thrive, it brings its benefits to the games that are being bet on. And Counter-Strike 2 is at the top of that list.
These benefits have arrived through a myriad of means. Fan interest in tournaments has gone up and become more consistent with betting markets available for each and every game played, which further incentivizes tournament organizers and their sponsoring partners. But those partners are also now more likely to work with the pro teams and players themselves. Betting operators are among the most common and most generous sponsors in the pro CS2 space, showing how esports betting’s rise has contributed to Counter-Strike’s continued prominence in esports and competitive gaming as a whole.
