Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Legendary AWPer dev1ce has officially returned to Astralis
Fariha Bhatti
It’s a good day for Astralis fans as the iconic trio of Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth, and Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz are officially reuniting under the red flag. After a string of leaks and reports, the Danish organization has confirmed the highly-awaited return of Mr. Consistent, more commonly known as dev1ce. The AWP maestro and legendary Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional player who led Astralis to their pinnacle will hop back into the server but in …
Counter-Strike
The best predictions for the CSGO Rio Major challenger stage
William Davis
The Rio Major challenger stage is almost here, and our predictions are based on Major history, recent form, and vibes. The Rio Major is a rare opportunity for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players to get their hands on more souvenir gun skins. Players who have purchased the pass can earn free souvenir tokens and even a platinum coin for correctly predicting how the world’s best CSGO teams will perform. The challenger …
Counter-Strike
Which bomb sites are most popular in CSGO? The stats reveal all
William Davis
With two bomb sites on each Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it’s easy to think they’d be equally popular. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. New stats from Scope.gg have revealed the popularity of bomb sites on each major CSGO map. While a 50/50 split seems logical, it’s clear that T side players are very biased when it comes to picking a venue. While not particularly useful on its own, …
Counter-Strike
How to get souvenir gun skins from the CSGO Rio Major
William Davis
Souvenirs are a big part of any big Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event and the Rio Major is no exception. Even CSGO players with no interest in the esports scene can appreciate a healthy injection of both stickers and souvenir skins into the game. However, fans who are getting back into CSGO in time for the major may not understand Valve’s massive overhaul for commemorative cases. Here’s how to get souvenir …
Counter-Strike
k0ngif reveals details of Malta fight after Astralis drops him
Fariha Bhatti
Astralis has dropped Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke from the starting roster of their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division, citing personal circumstances. k0nfig has played a pivotal role in Astralis’ shooter lineup since November 2021. The reputed CSGO player joined the Danish organization after a tumultuous stint with Complexity alongside Benjamin “blameF” Bremer — a move that seemed refreshing at the surface failed to have much impact. Despite it all, Astralis retained the core players. …
Counter-Strike
All the teams and favorites qualified for the CSGO Rio Major
William Davis
The qualified teams for the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Rio Major have finally been decided. The Rio Major will break new ground for CSGO esports with the first major hosted in South America. The preceding Regional Major Rankings event was fierce with only 24 teams earning a trip to the $1,250,000 event. With the Americas division wrapping up on October 9, CSGO fans can finally know exactly which teams will compete …
Counter-Strike
Astralis bombs out of RMR, dupreeh becomes sole all-Majors player
William Davis
Astralis has been disqualified from the Rio Major after going 1-3 in the European A RMR. The unexpected result will break Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth’s all-Majors streak, possibly leaving former Astralis rifler Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen as the only pro Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player to attend every Major. Astralis entered the Rio Major RMR as a solid favorite to qualify. However, a difficult first-round matchup against Ninjas in Pyjamas immediately resulted in …
Counter-Strike
G2 Esports not attending Rio Major after being eliminated by GamerLegion
William Davis
G2 Esports fans may not be quite as excited for the Rio Major now that their favorite squad has dropped the ball. After a shock upset from GamerLegion, G2 Esports will not attend the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Rio Major. The decisive match was originally expected to be an easy win for G2 but the German side came back from a 3-16 loss on map one to win it all. G2 …
CSGO streamer loses thousands in unlucky capsule opening
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players are no strangers to losing money over reckless gambling, but this streamer lost about $11,000. In 2022, there are around 50 EMS Katowice 2014 Legends capsules lurking around in Steam inventories. Unfortunately, since they’re old, the game may run out of all remaining capsules very soon, ultimately making them cost a fortune. Buying a capsule worth $12,000 is risky, but players continue to put it all …
HooXi just outfragged the rest of G2 against Ecstatic
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The insane Cinderella story of G2 Esports’ captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen adds a new chapter after the Dane went beast mode against Ecstatic. G2’s in-game leader HooXi has solidified his name as a top-level player after being a popular meme in the CSGO community. His meteoric rise from ironic gigachad to actual gigachad is a huge story in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but he just one-upped his own reputation. In an …
Try this devious molotov from ZywOo to win on Vertigo
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality’a star AWPer Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut’s magic molotov has dropped many jaws, leading players to even question the legality of the lineup. Vertigo isn’t precisely the most popular CSGO map but it’s highly competitive. Professional players often pick this location for its advanced design that almost always delivers exciting matches. Vertigo’s low play rate in official matchmaking has led to bland games with poor utility use. In a recent …
Is device finally returning to competitive CSGO with Astralis?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Reports claim that the Nicolai “device” Reedtz to Astralis discussions are turning the corner as Ninjas and Pyjamas and the Danish esports org agree on a buyout number. The rumors of device contemplating a return to his former home, Astralis, started swirling in the December of 2021. However, the star AWPer shut down the reports at the time, calling them nonsense in a series of tweets. device clarified that his …
Is the new CSGO Twitter banner a hint at Source 2?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a straightforward game at first glance, but the game’s social media team cooked up a very hidden message for the community. CSGO fans have discovered a hidden message in the new Twitter banner of the game’s official account. Under the simple phrase Counter-Strike, Valve hid a message that could reference a future Source 2 port. But how seriously should the average player take it? The banner …
Cyberattack caused s1mple to lag at ESL Pro League 16
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The idea of lagging on LAN is a popular joke in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community, but a cyberattack made it real for Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. After a massive technical delay, Pro League Season 16 host ESL has confirmed that s1mple fell victim to an innovative cyberattack during professional matches. The result was a massively delayed third map against Heroic and a speedy investigation from ESL. Here’s what went down …
This saucy Mirage lineup lets you smoke out connector from top mid
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Connector is usually a bloodbath on Mirage, but one simple smoke from top mid can solve the problem before it starts. Mirage mid feels like home to most Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players, but there’s always new tricks to discover. A new smoke lineup showcased on Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo’s stream allows players to smoke out connector from top mid. It’s relatively easy to smoke out connector before taking Mirage A site, but …
Did s1mple trash a hotel room? Here’s what we know
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive star Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev can take on any squad of pro players as well as a trashy hotel room. In the midst of ESL Pro League Season 16 group stage, s1mple posted on social media about disgusting living conditions in the ESL-provided hotel in Malta. The photos shocked fans, which snowballed into a suspected row between staff and the AWPing icon. The issue even drew the attention …
Try this Inferno one-way smoke by HooXi to defend B
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Inferno B site becomes an absolute lion’s den with this new one-way smoke by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s gigachad Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen. CSGO has a long list of classic maps grandfathered in from 1.6 and Source. Dedicated players grew up loitering around these locations in pixelated visuals on low-end computers. To keep their legacy in the CS franchise, Valve has chosen to update them with high-definition graphics and balance improvements. Inferno …
Was k0nfig removed from Astralis due to a fist fight in Malta?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke was earlier plucked out of Astralis’ starting roster for RMR following an ankle injury, which reports suggest resulted from a fist fight in Malta. Astralis’ rainy days that started at the beginning of 2021 continue to mar them as 2022 draws to an end. The team recently suffered a loss at the ESL Pro League Season 16 group stage after bagging only two wins. While the performance …
Was Riot Games behind Carlos’ resignation from G2 Esports?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
The Carlos Ocelote-Andrew Tate debacle seemed to have concluded with his resignation at G2 CEO, but a report hints at Riot’s involvement in the big decision. The controversial public figure and former boxer Andrew Tate is clearly not welcomed on the internet. After being de-platformed from Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok, Andrew Tate’s presence was reduced to rare clips posted on unofficial accounts. In light of these events, Carlos’ celebratory video …
CSGO pros often destroy property at tournaments, leading to large fines
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pros are usually cool under pressure, but one caster claims they take their emotions out on furniture. According to prominent CSGO caster Mohan “launders” Govindasamy, CSGO players rack up tens of thousands of dollars in fines over the course of major tournaments partially due to destruction of property. These massive penalties are also due to lateness, absences, and other rule infractions. The information came out during a …
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.
