Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Here are some one-way smokes pros are using on Mirage
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional players are redefining how the oldest map Mirage is played with these new one-way setups. Mirage is one of the oldest and most played CSGO maps. Both casual and competitive players know every corner of the location like the back of their hands. Still, pro players keep finding fresh ways to work this location. These newly discovered one-way smokes on Mirage’s B site will allow you …
Counter-Strike
The team list for CSGO’s Stockholm Major has been finalized
William Davis
The stage has been set for the biggest tournament in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive history. CSGO esports have been slowly returning to a live format, and now a Valve major will really kick the scene back into gear. All year long, teams have competed in the Regional Major Rankings for spots at the upcoming Stockholm Major. Now that all RMR events are over, we know exactly which teams have earned a …
Counter-Strike
Red Bull Flick is a 2-on-2 CSGO tournament with cash prizes
William Davis
You and a friend can earn cash and a trip to Helsinki, as long as your CSGO skills are good enough. Red Bull Flick has announced its third competitive season with €50,000 in prizes. The two-versus-two custom game mode has been revamped with exciting new maps and futuristic lore. The final Red Bull Flick qualifier will take place on October 16. The finals will be held live in Helsinki, Finland …
Counter-Strike
CSGO pro MAiNLiNE passes away, former teammates pay respects
William Davis
The North American CSGO scene has lost a top pro player. According to statements made by his former teammates, former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Michael “MAiNLiNE” Jaber has passed away. The in-game leader played a commanding role in several North American rosters including Selfless, Method, eUnited, and Enemy. In 2019, he switched to coaching where he trained Skyler “Relyks” Weaver and other aspiring pros. The region’s scene has come together …
Counter-Strike
ZywOo gets triple-kill with a single AWP shot in IEM Fall 2021
Fariha Bhatti
Sniper collaterals have become pretty common in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but this one-bullet triple kill from IEM Fall 2021 by Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut is a rare sight. ZywOo is widely regarded as one of the best shots in modern CSGO, and is particularly deadly with an AWP in his hands. The 20-year old racked up countless kills and he’s showing no signs of stopping. This was seen in IEM Fall …
Counter-Strike
All important smokes to learn for Inferno B site
Fariha Bhatti
It’s a well-known fact that Inferno depends heavily on team play and utility. But you don’t have to memorize all the smoke lineups in the universe to win Inferno. Winning a competitive game on Inferno is nearly impossible without team coordination and utility. Crisp aim comes into play on the middle area’s long-range duels. Otherwise, the map calls for critical use of smokes, molotovs, and flashes. Professional teams have crafted …
Counter-Strike
Ultimo GG launches free esports tournaments with cash prizes
William Davis
Ready to start your journey as a future pro esports player? Next-gen esports platform Ultimo GG has announced a new free tournament series with £50,000 in prizes. The lineup includes five of the biggest esports today, each with its own prize pool. The event is open to aspiring players and squads across the United Kingdom and Europe. Join the Ultimo GG Series through Challenger Mode for a guaranteed slot in …
Counter-Strike
G2, Astralis, and more headed to PGL Stockholm after IEM Fall
William Davis
Europe has nominated its five competitors for the $2 million PGL Stockholm Major through IEM Fall 2021’s European tournament. Astralis, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Vitality, Heroic, and G2 Esports have all secured tickets to the PGL Stockholm Major in November. Four of the teams secured a windfall of points with strong group stage showings. Heroic is set to play in the ninth-place tiebreaker, but has mathematically guaranteed a spot in …
Na’Vi, Gambit, five more qualify for PGL Stockholm Major
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
IEM Fall 2021 has wrapped up in the CIS, South America, and Oceania regions. With that, the first set of PGL Stockholm Major teams have been confirmed. The five representatives of the CIS region and singular representatives for both Oceania and South America have all been decided. Alongside this, each of the teams now knows which stage in the tournament they will begin in. The breakdown is as follows: Natus …
The M4A1-S is definitely superior to the M4A4, and this is why
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Operation Riptide’s balance update seems small, but it’s had a massive impact on the best counter-terrorist loadout. Many of the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams in the world have switched from the M4A4 to the M4A1-S. At the recent regional major rankings events for CIS and Europe, the M4A1-S has been used for 21.95% and 19.01% of rounds respectively. The small buff in Operation Riptide was enough for it to …
A pro CSGO player found himself in jail, and here’s why
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
GORILLAZ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Kevin “HS” Tarn was allegedly sent in jail for operating a motorcycle without the proper license. Fellow GORILLAZ squad member Miikka “suNny” Kemppi said on a recent Twitch stream with another pro player that HS was in jail for 48 hours after he operated a motorcycle without a driver’s license. So far, there are no further updates on the situation, leaving fans wondering what will happen …
n0thing raps with The Verkkars in new Flashbang Dance music video
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Put your hands in the air and wave them like you just got pop flashed. Electronic music duo The Verkkars and Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert have teamed up to create an official Flashbang Dance song. The release includes a music video, which features the crew cruising around Dust_2 Long A with tons of incredible animation. Both collaborators teased the music video on social media just before its release on October 1. …
All of the correct CSGO callouts for Vertigo
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Vertigo callouts are some of the trickiest in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, in large part due to how many times the map has been changed since being added to the game. The skyscraper is no longer the newest map in the competitive CSGO map pool, but it’s still not especially popular. A big part of that is the shifting nature of the map and Valve’s difficulties in balancing it. From unstoppable …
Why do CSGO pros tilt their keyboards?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
You’d think CSGO players would try to take it easy on their wrists, but they’ll make exceptions for the sake of desk space. If you’ve seen professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you might have noticed that many players tilt their keyboards when they play. The angle can vary, with some at a slight tilt and others nearly sideways. It doesn’t look comfortable to play like that, so why do CSGO pros …
CSGO’s Operation Riptide week 2 mission guide
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Ready to earn all six stars in CSGO’s Operation Riptide week two? The second set of Operation Riptide missions is now available, containing a ton of cool challenges including another guardian mission and a trip to a new competitive map. Here’s how to complete every Operation Riptide mission and get another windfall of stars in week two. The second week of Operation Riptide comes with another simple mission with a …
CSGO player count stabilizing after 6 months of drop
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s dramatic decline in players throughout 2021 has drawn to a close after six consecutive months, new stats show. Valve’s shooter seems to be on the mend after losing 16% of its player base in June 2021, recording the most lasting drop since the game’s release in 2012. However, Steamcharts shows that CSGO is restoring form as the game sees its first boost in six months. According to …
The teams competing for $425K at BLAST Premier Fall Finals
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The stage is finally set for the BLAST Premier: Fall Finals, but there’s still some surprises left in store. With the conclusion of Fall Groups, the teams competing in BLAST Premier Fall Finals are mostly decided. The $425,000 tournament will feature the absolute top teams in Counter-Strike Global Offensive on LAN. All of the competitors earned their spot through Fall Groups, and two more are on their way form the …
This new CSGO skin is based on a real-life counter-terrorist
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Operation Riptide reminds players that conflicts aren’t exclusive to video games. A new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive agent skin appears to be a tribute to a real French counter-terrorist. The new exceptional agents collection includes Officer Jacques Beltram, a CT skin meant to represent the French gendarmerie. His name, story, and appearance all point to real-life gendarme Arnaud Beltrame, who traded himself for a hostage during a 2018 terrorist attack in …
seized reveals Trident Clan owes salaries to entire CSGO team
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Esports organization Trident Clan apparently owes its former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team around $35,000. Former Trident Clan player Denis “seized” Kostin told Dexerto that Trident Clan owes him and his former teammates money, including $7,000 owed to seized personally. He first revealed that Trident Clan owed the money on September 8, explaining that the organization had stopped paying all of the team’s salaries in May 2021. At the time, seized …
The riot shield is back in CSGO, here’s how to buy and use it
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Fans of hostage game mode have a new tool at their disposal with the riot shield making its way out of Danger Zone. As part of Operation Riptide, the riot shield is now available for purchase in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It is only available in casual hostage mode and is still not available in competitive matches even though the weapon still appears normally in the heavy weapon buy menu in …
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.
