Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Did a CS10 sticker reveal the release date for Source 2 CSGO?
William Davis
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans have been in a frenzy over the possibility of the Source 2 CSGO date being spoiled by a CS10 sticker. But a video of a CS10 sticker spoiling the release date of Source 2 is fake, and we can prove it. Soon after the release of the CS10 sticker capsule, videos began circulating on social media of messages hidden in their designs. One sticker in particular, …
Counter-Strike
CSGO trading site loses $6 million of skins in massive hack
Steven Rondina
One of the largest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin trading sites in the world was hacked and potentially emptied out, with millions of dollars in CSGO skins being lost. Fans who have watched CSGO esports for any length of time have likely seen ads for skin trading website CS.money. The site processes tens of millions of dollars worth of skins between players. But now many of those skins have gone missing. …
Counter-Strike
CSGO player count explodes after CS10 anniversary update
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s player count has enjoyed a significant boost thanks to CS10 with the peak concurrent player count hitting its highest number in ages. CSGO overtook Dota 2 as the most popular game on Steam a long while ago, but that doesn’t mean things have been smooth sailing for the game. In June 2021, competitive matchmaking and drops were made exclusive to those with CSGO Prime status, with that …
Counter-Strike
Could Tuscan replace Mirage or Dust 2 in Active Duty map pool?
Steven Rondina
Tuscan is here and Counter-Strike fans are loving it, but Mirage and Dust 2 fans should probably be a bit worried about their map’s future in CSGO. The CS10 anniversary event has arrived in CSGO. It didn’t bring Source 2, but it did bring a batch of three maps including Tuscan, Anubis, and Breach. All three have been added to to official competitive matchmaking, and players are loving the chance …
Counter-Strike
Modder creates Source 2 port of CSGO before Valve does
Steven Rondina
Fans have been wanting a Source 2 version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for years now, and one modder has made it a reality before Valve. Modders and content creators have given fans a taste of what Source 2 would look like for the game on several occasions in the past. This has been done by taking Source 2 games like Half-Life: Alyx and transferring in guns and maps from those …
Counter-Strike
s1mple says that Mirage haters know nothing about CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Despite its high play rate, Mirage is often the subject of hate in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. AWP maestro Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev has picked sides, explaining why Mirage is a good map and why its haters are wrong. Mirage may be the most-played match in official matchmaking, but some professional players want it gone. Abai “HObbit” Hasenov’s tweet regarding Mirage sparked an interesting discussion about whether the map should be removed. …
Counter-Strike
Iconic CS 1.6 map Tuscan has finally arrived in CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
The legendary Counter-Strike map Tuscan has finally gotten an official release in CSGO. The Counter-Strike franchise has a long list of iconic locations that players still reminisce about. Agency, Estate, Mill, and many others left a lasting impression on fans. Thankfully, Valve allows players to create custom maps that have kept the old content alive. However, it’s tough to replicate the true spirit of the old maps. Creators Catfood and …
Counter-Strike
Why is the rox Holo signature such an expensive CSGO sticker?
William Davis
The Martin “rox” Molina holo has become one of the most expensive stickers in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but the reason why is a little complicated. Plenty of CSGO players have attempted to stick out from the crowd with unique signature stickers. From the classic contributions of Oliver “DickStacy” Tierney to the nickname drops of Mikhail “Dosia” Stolyarov, there’s plenty of funny ways to make skins stand out by using stickers. …
This new tool is basically a legal maphack for CSGO
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Most Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players sneer in disgust at maphacks, but a new tool will give every player a similar edge without technically cheating. Scope.gg is creating a new resource for CSGO players that might provide a significant advantage. The new paid program is called Prematch, and will search enemy accounts to automatically analyze replays and determine where on the map enemy players are most likely to be playing. This …
Team Vitality designs CSGO gun skins, will they appear in-game?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality is throwing its hat into the gun skins ring with its own collection of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive weapon skins. Team Vitality has revealed its first set of custom CSGO skins added to the Steam Workshop. Titled the Rush Hornet collection, the four skins all have a black and yellow design featuring a very angry wasp. The set is currently up for voting in the Workshop, which is how …
Ex-CSGO dev explains how Source 2 will really change the game
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
A Source 2 port of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been on fans’ minds for years now. Over time, expectations and theories about what this would mean have merged and morphed such that diehards don’t even know what it would mean at this stage to finally have CSGO in Source 2. Former Valve employee Richard Geldreich is an OSINT analyst, open source software developer, and video game programmer who has worked …
Iconic Door Stuck meme video may be deleted for bogus reasons
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
One of the most popular memes in Counter-Strike’s 20-year history may soon be scrubbed off of YouTube with the “Door Stuck” video at the center of copyright issues. Door Stuck is a beloved meme in CS circles. The video shows two players on ESEA servers in the original Counter-Strike trolling one another. One is spamming voice chat with the lyrics to Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” while the …
The new CSGO matchmaking update just recalibrated your rank
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is finally getting a significant update to its matchmaking and ranking system. A rank recalibration has landed in CSGO and it will affect all active players. Gamers who play competitive titles will often gripe about the matchmaking system being the real reason that they can’t climb the ladder. In most major online games, the real reason is either a toxic attitude or a lack of skill. CSGO …
The origin of the popular Fnatic Manager here meme
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
The iconic “Fnatic manager here” meme is has frequently gone viral in the tactical shooter community. But what exactly does it mean? FPS games like Valorant and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive require a developer’s constant attention to run smoothly. The professional esports scene and its high stakes is one of the key reasons the two games must stay bug-free. For that, players record and publish game-breaking bugs hoping the devs will …
Scientific study finds CSGO to be most exciting esport to play
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Every player knows that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a tense game, but a new study from data scientists shows it’s the most exciting of all. According to a survey of 140,000 gamers, CSGO reigns supreme as the most exciting game to play. The data scientists who developed the information relied on user feedback to rank games based on how much they required fast decision-making and quick reactions. CSGO ranks as …
New palace one-way on Mirage is a game-changer
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players have discovered a brand new one-way lineup on Mirage that can help dodge the enemy AWPer. The most popular CSGO map Mirage is also among the trickiest. A clever strategy with a side of crisp aim is the key to emerging as the stronger team in this historical venue. Utilities, callouts, and coordination are a few ingredients to wins on Mirage. However, it’s an old map, …
Valve is testing Tuscan and Prime in CSGO, what does it mean?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
New maps usually means a new operation in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, so are Tuscan and Prime on their way to official servers? Prominent Valve insider Gabe Follower has revealed that CSGO developers have opened maps Tuscan and Prime during a testing session. Follower did not provide exact details for why the CSGO team is testing these alternate maps, but it may be connected to an upcoming operation. Here’s info on …
Stats reveal Mirage is the popular CSGO map in 2022
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Mirage is a legendary location in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and may remain in matchmaking for a long time, statistics show. CSGO has a myriad of maps set in different atmospheres, adding a change of scenery for regular players. But the competitive pool is limited. Players feel strongly about the MM map selection, so Valve doesn’t meddle with it often. The recent Ancient addition also received mixed reactions, but players have …
Why do CSGO skins cost so much money?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is famous for its technical gameplay and competitive esports scene, but it’s highly expensive cosmetics also get a fair share of attention. Developer Valve offers players creative ways to spend money on various cosmetics from gun skins to gloves to stickers. Players acquire skins through paid loot boxes, but players can also purchase them directly from other CSGO fans though the Steam Market. Of course, Valve also …
Did s1mple just leak Boombl4’s new team after scandal?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov may continue his career as a top in-game leader according to leaks from his former star teammate. During a streaming session with Russian rapper Alisher “MORGENSHTERN” Morgenshtern, Natus Vincere’s Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev may have may have leaked the next Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team to sign Boombl4. The information is not conclusive, but s1mple has a record of revealing correct insider information. According to s1mple, the new team …
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.
