Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
World champion Juliano leaves Valorant, returns to CS:GO
Nicholas James
Two world champions are making a return to CS:GO, with Zaaz and Juliano returning to G2 Esports’ CS:GO team, giving the organization championship rosters in both Valorant and CS:GO. G2 Esports has announced its new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive women’s roster, and there are two very familiar faces who will be sporting the signature black and red of one of Europe’s biggest esports organizations. Julia “Juliano” Kiran was announced as departing …
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 is reportedly releasing within a month
Nicholas James
Fans of the tactical shooter genre have been waiting for a new installment in the Counter-Strike series, and rumor has it that Valve is testing what might be CS:GO 2 right now. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released in 2012, more than a decade ago, and fans have been awaiting a new update to the series with bated breath. According to recent and sudden rumors, Valve has been testing a huge …
Counter-Strike
Is Counter-Strike 2 finally happening? Solid evidence says yes
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike 2 is all that FPS fans can talk about right now because solid evidence has emerged that points to a whole new version of the popular shooter game. Valve’s labor of love, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, is having a stellar year. Hitting new records and continuing to rope in more players, 2023 has turned out to be excellent for CSGO which was a good game to bet on using Stake. …
Counter-Strike
CSGO legend GeT_RiGhT shares the perfect Overpass bait smoke
Fariha Bhatti
Iconic Counter-Strike: Global Offensive streamer Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund may have bid farewell to pro play, but he hasn’t hung the mouse entirely. The legend is still helping the community by sharing valuable smoke lineups. Smoke lineups in CSGO are no picnic, especially for new players or those unfamiliar with the game’s mechanics. Nevertheless, smoke grenades are a crucial part of the game, as they can be used to create cover, …
Counter-Strike
Skin.Club introduces Karrigan Reviews
William Davis
Skin.Club, one of the biggest CSGO case opening sites in the world, announced a partnership with the newly awarded “Best IGL of the Year,” Finn “Karrigan” Andersen. Karrigan is one the most decorated, experienced, and well-renowned captains in the game. Having started his career in 2006, he won almost every significant trophy in CSGO, including the Major, IEM, and EPL. He’s great at taking calculated risks and making his opponents …
Counter-Strike
Doodle Lore removed after community accuses CSGO of stealing art
Fariha Bhatti
The CSGO Revolution bundle packed jaw-dropping skins, but the popular AWP Doodle Lore is no longer a part of it. In February, Valve churned out Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s one of greatest skin cases in Revolution. The set stored vibrant items with detailed art on them. One of the skins even looks like a ripe banana. But, the AWP Doodle Lore by Jimmba caught the player’s attention. Painted with doodles of …
Counter-Strike
CSGO player banned for cheating live during RMR qualifier
William Davis
Cheating in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the worst possible offense, which makes getting banned live in tournament all the more embarrassing. Cheating in Valve matchmaking is one thing, but attempting to lie your way to a major is another matter entirely. Yet, that’s exactly what one North American CSGO player intended to do. During a Regional Major Rankings event for the upcoming Paris Major, one player was unceremoniously booted from …
Counter-Strike
G2 Esports breaks the curse and wins IEM Katowice 2023
William Davis
G2 Esports is the champion of IEM Katowice 2023. The tam secured the victory in an intense series that had fans on the edge of their seats. The best-of-five series finished with a 3-1 score. G2 is having a season like no other, and it all started with the signing of Australian talent Justin “jks” Savage and the new in-game leader Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen. These two just added more firepower …
NAF talks Liquid’s growth and Anubis B after IEM Katowice 2023
William Davis
Counter-Strike
WIN.gg caught up with Team Liquid’s Keith “NAF” Markovic at IEM Katowice 2023 to talk about the squad’s incredible result. Team Liquid was expected to make a deep run at IEM Katowice, and it definitely succeeded with a finish in the semi-final. Lurker NAF played a key role in the result, earning the team’s highest HLTV rating for the event at 1.11. NAF graciously agreed to sit down with WIN.gg …
“We’re not b—es!”: YEKINDAR on Liquid’s IEM Katowice run
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Mareks “YEKINDAR” Katowice talks the CT rifle meta, new map Anubis, and the differences between NA and CIS in our exclusive interview from IEM Katowice 2023. Team Liquid is out of Katowice in third place following a loss to G2 Esports in the semi-finals. This earned the team $80,000, sharing the third-fourth place with Natus Vincere. Fan-favorite rifler YEKINDAR put on a great performance in the podium run, with 78.9 …
“It’s an insane feeling”: npl on Na’vi’s bronze in Katowice
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Andrij “npl” Kukharsjkyj made his international LAN debut at IEM Katowice 2023, ending a deep run with Natus Vincere at third-fourth. Natus Vincere is out of IEM Katowice in third-fourth place, earning $80,000 from wins over Cloud9, Team Liquid, and Outsiders. The eastern European squad put up a valiant effort against Heroic but was unable to progress further. After a solid performance at his debut LAN, Na’Vi, newbie npl took …
“They just f—ed us”: ZywOo interview after IEM Katowice 2023
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Star AWPer for Team Vitality Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut opens up on Katowice, Overpass, and why he doesn’t know how to pronounce his own name. Vitality is officially out of IEM Katowice 2023 in fifth place, defeating Ninjas in Pyjamas and Fnatic before losses to Heroic and Team Liquid. ZywOo performed up to his very high standard, earning 87.3 damage per round with a 1.28 KD ratio. After the exit, ZywOo …
“We really f—ed up on Overpass”: apEX Katowice exit interview
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire opens up on the evolving Counter-Strike meta after a deep run at IEM Katowice 2023. Vitality is officially out of IEM Katowice in fifth place, outranking 19 other teams and earning $40,000 in prize money. The strong showing was full of ups and downs, with a heartbreaker game one against Team Liquid ultimately ending things early. WIN.gg was lucky to sit down with Vitality …
CSGO tops Steam list after breaking all-time highest player count record
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is having an excellent start to 2023, breaking its own player count record. Valve’s labor of love is still relevant and popular, stats reveal. It seems modern FPS games have done more good than damage to CSGO as more players discover the classic game after trying out the new titles. As a result, CSGO is currently the top game on Steam, followed by Dota 2 and PUBG. …
“Always been sacrificing a bit too much”: HooXi at IEM Katowice
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen is a fan favorite in Katowice, but he isn’t so fond of the game’s newest map. G2 Esports is on a tear at IEM Katowice, reaching the semi-finals of the event without dropping a single map. G2 captain and famous gigachad HooXi has helped make that possible with both excellent shot-calling and explosive individual play. The international squad is clearly gunning for a championship, and only two …
“We want revenge against Outsiders”: Jabbi interview at Katowice
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Jakob “Jabbi” Nygaard of Heroic shared his thoughts on the evolving metagame of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive at IEM Katowice 2023. Jabbi may still be the newest member of Heroic, but the 19-year-old star rifler plays his role with confidence. Heroic is entering the playoffs of IEM Katowice 2023 with a guaranteed top-four finish. Along the way, Jabbi has earned the best stats of any player at the event. Jabbi reveals …
“We’ll take whoever’s winning”: cadiaN at IEM Katowice 2023
William Davis
Counter-Strike
In our exclusive interview, Heroic captain Casper “cadiaN” Møller opens up on at IEM Katowice 2023. Heroic was expected to go far in Katowice, and the squad has already secured a top-six finish. After sweeping the group stage, the Danish team is slated to compete against the winner of Natus Vincere and Outsiders in the semi-finals. WIN.gg caught up with in-game leader cadiaN, who graciously answered questions on his Heroic …
CSGO Revolution Case: All the new skins and golds
William Davis
Counter-Strike
After more than seven months with no new skins, the Revolution Case is here to end the drought in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. CSGO began setting a new record for the longest time between case releases in late 2022, with nothing new for more than 220 days after the Recoil Case dropped. Now that dry spell has finally ended with the release of the Revolution case. This new set of skins …
CSGO player count in 2023: Is it still popular?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the oldest FPS games out there. Still, it’s going strong with a solid player count in 2023. The FPS industry is saturated with new titles that get popular quickly but lose relevance after a year or so. However, in a herd of fads, CSGO is one game that has remained popular for over a decade. In 2023, the game has a massive fanbase that …
Who is Permitta Esports? The local legends at IEM Katowice 2023
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Intel chose to Permitta local Polish team to attend IEM Katowice 2023, but these aren’t just any players off the street. Most fans will spot a brand-new team at IEM Katowice once it kicks off on February 1, 2023. Permitta Esports stands out a bit among the world-class competition, but the team is there for an important reason. Here are the players on Permitta Esports and how the team earned …
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.
