Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Mirage recreated in Minecraft looks as good as Source 2
William Davis
A skilled Minecraft maestro just built Counter-Strike map Mirage, and it is looking gorgeous. An experienced Minecraft builder has recreated one of the most iconic maps in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. CSGO veterans probably have Mirage burned into their brains by now, but this new version gives the map a completely new look. While not available to download in either CSGO or Minecraft, there are several blocky maps that players can …
Valorant
Streamer explains why CSGO is more entertaining to watch than Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
The gameplay comparisons between Counter: Strike: Global Offensive and Valorant are never-ending, but now the streaming community is also discussing how the two FPS are different when it comes to viewership as well. Before Valorant entered the fray, CSGO ruled the shooter genre as the flagship title. In 2022, both Valorant and CSGO are in the race to be the number one. Players have their preferences when it comes to …
Counter-Strike
Want a CSGO graffiti based on you? This contest is your chance
William Davis
Getting an in-game graffiti in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive usually requires a trip to a major, but the average fan can enter a contest to get immortalized on Iris. The creators of Iris have announced a new competition for in-game graffiti on their map. The winner of the event will get their own custom graffiti on the map Iris. Players need to score an amazing clutch and submit it to the …
Counter-Strike
Sadokist and Semmler blast PGL for absences at Antwerp Major
William Davis
Fans won’t get to hear Auguste “Semmler” Massonnat and Matthew “Sadokist” Trivett at the upcoming $1 million CSGO major. Two iconic Counter-Strike: Global Offensive casters will be absent from the Antwerp Major following disagreements with tournament organizers at PGL. Sadokist cited a previous break potentially souring his working relationship with PGL. Semmler’s motives are less clear, but they could be related to either domestic restrictions or international concerns. Both casters …
shroud’s shocking low rank shows CSGO matchmaking is broken
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s ranked matchmaking system is broken, and former pro player Michael “shroud” Grzesiek can prove it. shroud is a popular streamer today, but he began his gaming career as a star CSGO pro. His ability to land dazzling headshots made him one of the most popular players on one of the most popular teams in all of esports when he played for Cloud9. He’s appeared on many of …
shroud returns to CSGO and regrets it due to bad matchmaking
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Popular streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek returned to his old stomping grounds of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. And he didn’t particularly enjoy the experience. The streamer put together a squad of five players for a matchmaking session. As per usual, shroud talked up the core CSGO game. But according to shroud, the overall CSGO experience remains an absolute disaster zone. During a rant on Twitch, shroud discussed the state of CSGO matchmaking …
French president reps Vitality, calls for CSGO major in France
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Emmanuel Macron is a fan of video games and French esports organization Team Vitality. Or at least, he was during the latest election season. Macron made a surprising play for the gamer vote during his run-off election against opposing candidate Marine Le Pen. As part of that, the reelected president was spotted doing the rounds in front of cameras while wearing a Team Vitality hoodie patterned after the French flag. …
Legendary North American org Cloud9 returns to CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Cloud9 has returned to the top of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene by signing the former Gambit Esports roster. The North American esports organization has officially returned from a CSGO hiatus after undergoing a “colossus” fail. Cloud9 has quite a storyline in CSGO, but the new signing seems promising. In an understated announcement, the organization has officialized the new lineup. The news comes as a surprise for those who hadn’t …
Nigma Galaxy Female opens up on women’s CSGO, online era
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The online era hit women’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive even harder than men’s, according to the world’s best female team. WIN.gg had the opportunity to speak with Nigma Galaxy Female, the highest-level women’s CSGO team in the world. Nigma Galaxy recently qualified for ESEA Main in Europe, becoming only the second female team in history to qualify for the prestigious circuit. The team’s players answered questions about the tournament grinding experience, …
The best CSGO practice config and commands for climbing ranks in 2022
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Shooting your way through Deathmatch may polish your aim, but some solo practice is crucial in high-level Counter-Strike: Global Offensive games. That’s why players hungry to climb ranks are looking for the best CSGO practice config and commands in 2022. Limiting your practice regime to improving your aim is one of the reasons many players are hard stuck in low ranks. High-ELO games require map knowledge and utility usage, not just …
Rare bomb spawn glitch hits pro CSGO game in double overtime
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The infamous bomb spawn glitch may be rare, but it has now affected a pro CSGO match deep into overtime. The ugly glitch has reared its head at the European Regional Major Rankings event. During a crucial round being played between pro teams Eternal Fire and Dignitas, the bomb simply failed to spawn at the beginning of the round. The glitch occurred during a very important match that would determine …
Will Mirage be rotated out? Here’s why players are hoping so
William Davis
Counter-Strike
For the sake of Mirage players, the map should get rotated out of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s active duty status the next time Valve makes a change. With the additions of Vertigo and Ancient, Valve is clearly trying to shake up the competitive map pool for CSGO esports. Many fans are content to grind away on Dust 2 and Mirage, but even they will admit that strategic development on those maps …
CSGO maps may see big changes with Valorant map maker joining team
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive maps could get a touch of Valorant flair if a recent hire is any indication. Lydia “PHRISK” Zanotti has announced her move from Riot Games’ Valorant to the iconic shooter CSGO. The news further strengthened rumors of the older game switching to the Source 2 engine. But even if those rumors are false, fans can still expect new maps or updates to existing venues in the near …
smooya leaks salary numbers for s1mple, NiKo, ZywOo, and more
William Davis
News
Ever wonder what how much money s1mple makes? We now have an answer thanks to a leak from a fellow pro player. During a late-night stream, Owen “smooya” Butterfield revealed the estimated salaries of several prominent Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pros. He leaked the general salaries of multiple teams along with the monthly income for top players including Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and Nikola “NiKo” Kovač. Exact salaries are difficult to find …
cadiaN and gla1ve get in a fist fight at ESL Pro League
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Casper “cadiaN” Møller and Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander allegedly got into a physical fight at ESL Pro League Season 15. The information was revealed by prominent esports journalist Richard Lewis during a recent episode of the Pop Flash, a CSGO podcast. Lewis stated that he received inside information from ESL Pro League about the scuffle. It’s not clear which player between Heroic and Astralis’ in-game leaders started the fight, but the …
ENCE is back on top after EPL 15, but who is the new lineup?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
After a phenomenal performance at ESL Pro League Season 15, ENCE is once again reminding CSGO fans how EZ tournaments can be. After clawing its way through a very difficult group stage and an even harder playoffs bracket, ENCE is now a contender for the top tier of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports. The team took home $90,000 after a competitive 1-3 loss to FaZe Clan in the grand finals. While …
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.
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
