Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Is Gabe Newell really hand-delivering the new Steam Deck?
Fariha Bhatti
It seems like Santa has arrived earlier for PC gaming enthusiasts. Gabe Newell has reportedly been sighted hand-delivering the new Steam Deck to buyers. The lord of all things Steam, Gabe Newell, is sometimes not as much in touch with the community as fans would like him to be. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans have complained many times about his absence at major events. However, he seems to have taken a …
Counter-Strike
FaZe Clan wins IEM Katowice 2022 over G2 after 6 overtimes
William Davis
The IEM Katowice 2022 grand finals ended with a phenomenal championship run for FaZe Clan, defeating G2 Esports in a true marathon of a series. FaZe Clan defeated G2 Esports 3-0 to cap off a fantastic $1 million LAN tournament. After defeating Heroic, Gambit, and Team Liquid, FaZe overcame the final challenge to secure $400,000 and tons of circuit points for BLAST Premier and the ESL Pro Tour. While every …
Counter-Strike
FaZe Clan vs G2 Esports IEM Katowice finals betting picks
William Davis
The IEM Katowice grand finals is a well-deserved showdown between FaZe Clan and G2 Esports, and our betting picks are here to say which team will take the trophy. Almost two weeks of top-tier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive action comes down to this. G2 Esports’ remixed roster barreled past nearly all challengers on its path to the grand finals. FaZe Clan overcame multiple roster troubles and the most difficult path of …
Counter-Strike
Hilarious easter egg on Iris brings a new C4 hiding tech to CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive didn’t really have funny tactics to toy with the C4, but this new map is changing the meta. An easter egg on Iris can hide the bomb in a cheeky spot. Valve recently revealed the newest batch of community maps coming to CSGO. One of the latest maps is Iris, a location set in a small mid-century town that once thrived from its auto industry. The rusty …
Counter-Strike
Deadly new Vertigo boost could stop ramp pushes forever
Steven Rondina
A deadly new boost has been discovered for Vertigo and it could redefine the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map’s notoriously contentious A site. In every iteration of Vertigo, sandbags has been a cheeky spot for CTs to lurk and a key point for defending ramp. What’s often forgotten about is everything behind Vertigo. A half-finished cement wall and railing is directly behind the spot to prevent players from falling off. What …
Counter-Strike
Virtus.pro vs G2 Esports IEM Katowice betting & fantasy picks
William Davis
G2 Esports and Virtus.pro both took tumultuous paths to the playoffs of IEM Katowice, but only one can advance to the final four. While the other top-six match is a battle between teams with something to prove, G2 and VP will be a true clash of the titans. Both of these squads were expected to go far at IEM Katowice. G2 Esports is still testing out its newest acquisition Ilya …
Counter-Strike
CSGO gets new community maps with the end of Operation Riptide
William Davis
A whole batch of new maps just got added to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with the ending of Operation Riptide. On February 21, Valve revealed the newest batch of community maps coming to CSGO. The new options include two competitive maps, two Wingman maps, and a pair of community-made Danger Zone locales. The addition also means the removal of Operation Riptide community maps, as none will be promoted to regular play. …
Counter-Strike
How to get CSGO drops from official Valve tournaments
William Davis
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments are exciting, and the possibility of getting a fancy souvenir drop only adds to the fun. Players just tuning in to CSGO tournaments now that LAN events are back may be disappointed by not getting any souvenir cases. They used to be distributed on a random basis to players watching at home, but Valve now uses a different method of handing out souvenir drops. This guide …
New bug sends CSGO players flying off of ladders
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may not have any absurd hero abilities mucking up the game, but CSGO players are now somehow exploiting bugs to fly around the map. Nuke’s ladders seem to have invisible springs that are launching players in the air. CSGO has remained the go-to tactical shooter for over a decade. Despite Valve’s best efforts to keep the game running smoothly, its players do occasionally encounter bugs. This latest …
Gambit Esports vs FaZe Clan IEM Katowice betting picks
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Gambit and FaZe both ran into trouble on their path to the IEM Katowice playoffs, but our betting analysis will pick which team should come out on top. FaZe Clan and Gambit are in very different positions. After pushing Natus Vincere to its absolute limit, FaZe narrowly lost in overtime to start the playoffs in the first round. But FaZe is still a team to watch in the final stage. …
Fnatic possibly benching smooya after IEM Katowice elimination
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Fnatic’s elimination from IEM Katowice may have led to some surprising roster moves. A source recently informed Dexerto that AWPer Owen “smooya” Butterfield is being benched after the team’s underwhelming performance. Fnatic left the Major in ninth place, falling to FaZe Clan and Astralis in IEM Katowice’s group stage. While smooya is a talented and popular player, it’s no secret that his performance has been lacking the past few months. …
Natus Vincere vs FaZe Clan IEM Katowice betting analysis
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Natus Vincere is a clear favorite at IEM Katowice, but FaZe Clan won’t go down without a fight. IEM Katowice is in full swing, and the $1 million LAN has already brought a ton of great betting matchups. The most exciting match of February 20 will be a showdown between the favorites and a top-tier contender with plenty to prove. Natus Vincere has shown small signs of weakness throughout the …
Why was s1mple’s PC inspected during IEM Katowice match?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s computer getting inspected mid-match sparked confusion and controversy at IEM Katowice. On the second day of IEM Katowice, tournament officials were seen inspecting s1mple’s computer in the middle of a match against ENCE. Fans immediately speculated that s1mple’s computer was somehow tampered with. but talent and officials gave no official explanation on stream, further fueling the rumor mill. While definitely not evidence of the greatest active CSGO …
CSGO pro claims he was DDoSed during an official match
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Even professionals can fall victim to DDoS attacks in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. A CSGO pro player claims that he was hit with a DDoS during a pivotal match at Pinnacle Winter Series. Haris “H4RR3” Hadžić, a rifler for 777 Esports, took to social media to voice his complaints regarding an alleged targeted DDoS attack on him. If true, the incident might have caused 777 to lose a match it would …
Heroic vs OG IEM Katowice CSGO betting analysis
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Heroic and OG will ring in IEM Katowice with an exciting first-round matchup. Our betting analysis will help you predict the winner. OG versus Heroic at IEM Katowice might be the most exciting match of the first round. OG’s new roster got a chance to shine at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups, but Heroic is a whole new standard to measure up to. The Danish roster has dodged controversy after controversy …
Team Liquid vs FaZe Clan IEM Katowice betting analysis
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid and FaZe Clan both have a lot to prove at IEM Katowice, but our betting analysis puts one team squarely ahead of the other. FaZe Clan and Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rosters are both undergoing a period of change. For FaZe Clan, the recent acquisition of Robin “ropz” Kool has fans feeling cautiously optimistic. Liquid’s is obvious, as a recent team rebuild leaves the North American roster …
Bump mine maps are the hottest new CSGO community game mode
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Bump mine maps are the newest craze to hit the Steam Workshop in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Bump mines are usually reserved for hopping around in Danger Zone, but creative map developers have started using them as a toy. Their unique interactions in the Source engine allows players to navigate through movement courses in an entirely new way. An innovative new game mode is just getting started as a result, and …
Why is FalleN missing from Team Liquid at IEM Katowice?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid is missing a crucial player in Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo at IEM Katowice, but this absence isn’t a result of travel or health issues. Keen-eyed North American CSGO fans will notice that a core member of Team Liquid is missing at Intel Extreme Master Katowice. After almost a full year spent with the squad, AWPer FalleN has officially left to start his own Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. While FalleN’s …
CSGO’s Trust Factor could be forcing you against cheaters
William Davis
Counter-Strike
When it comes to playing against cheaters, Trust Factor could be even more important than having a Prime account in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Several competitive video games have implemented a form of conduct score over the past few years, and CSGO is no exception. Called Trust Factor, the system is used to roughly measure how well a player behaves in-game. A player’s Trust Factor score can have a massive impact …
$2 million of CSGO skins lost after Steam Community ban
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
One of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s most expensive backpacks has been lost forever following a Steam Community ban. According to CSGO YouTuber TDM_Heyzeus, Chinese skin trader QKSS has received a direct community ban from Valve. This locks away control of his backpack and leaves his skins inaccessible and untradeable. QKSS’s profile has since been set to private but they were known to have had a slew of extremely rare and expensive …
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.
