Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Newly discovered Nuke wall bang kills three enemies in one shot
Fariha Bhatti
Nuke is a complex map to play, as this new triple wall bang lineup proves. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has tons of map variants and locations, but only seven stand out in the active duty map pool. Nuke is one of the most confusing maps in the competitive collection due to its unique design that mashes up sound cues. The two-story map has tight choke corners and adjoined entryways that allow …
Counter-Strike
summit1g shows off his diamond-encrusted mouse worth $100,000
Fariha Bhatti
Popular Twitch streamer Jaryd “summit1g” Lazar’s newest piece of jewellery is an exceptional and freakishly expensive mouse. summit is one of Twitch’s most-followed streamers. The former pro Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player has garnered a massive fanbase with his entertaining content on trending games. Recently, summit has actively been roleplaying in the NoPixel GTA server alongside the likes of Félix “xQc” Lengyel and others. With his regular streams and compelling content, …
Counter-Strike
People are confusing esports’ ESL with new European Super League
Steven Rondina
European football is set to undergo an enormous shakeup in 2021, and that’s causing a bit of a branding issue in esports. ESL, one of esports’ top tournament organizers that operates across almost every notable title in competitive gaming, has been getting mixed up lately with the new European Super League. The fledgling soccer association has been one of the most heavily discussed topics in all of sports, and that’s …
Counter-Strike
CSGO pro Elige upset for not getting an invite to Valorant 10-mans
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional player Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski is not happy with Valorant 10-mans Discord admin Roy “StrongLegs” Ahad. 10-mans servers are a solid platform for pro players to showcase their abilities and compete against other skilled players. These servers are often divided into tiers based on in-game ranks, accomplishments in the relevant esports scene, and skill level. The division helps maintain fairness in all games so that players can …
Counter-Strike
Manchester United manager Ole Solskjaer invests in esports
William Davis
Manchester United’s manager and former Norwegian soccer player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been announced as the new co-owner of ULTI Agency, a company that represents pro gamers. Solskjaer will become a minority shareholder in the company, after he and his agent Jim Solbakken acquired a combined 25% of the company through their ventures. “Esports has become bigger than anyone would have dared to predict just a few years ago. It spreads …
Counter-Strike
Who is Kyojin, Vitality’s newest CSGO player?
William Davis
The latest addition to Vitality’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster, Jason “Kyojin” Nguyen is a relatively unknown name in the pro scene. Kyojin is a French CSGO player of Vietnamese descent. Despite already being 22 years old, he will make his debut as a professional player on Vitality. He previously played on several French mix teams, competing in local tournaments and qualifiers for bigger events. He recently stood in for Heretics …
Counter-Strike
Unknown 9Z Team eliminates Vitality from BLAST Premier Showdown
William Davis
The unknown 9z Team managed to eliminate Vitality in the first round of the BLAST Premier Showdown, in what is likely Cédric “RpK” Guipouy’s final game withthe French team. 9Z, a team that qualified for the Showdown through the South American qualifier, was marked as the heavy underdog going into the series. To make things worse, the team was forced to play with Rajohn “easTor” Linato as a stand-in. Vitality …
Counter-Strike
CSGO feed: News, tweets, more from top pro players
William Davis
Thanks to everyone who took part in Operation Broken Fang. As of now the Operation has concluded. Players have until May 15th to spend Operation Stars. We have a few updates today, beginning with the Active Duty Map Pool—Train has been removed and Ancient has been added. — CS:GO (@CSGO) May 3, 2021 Most importantly, new chickens and today’s Release Notes: https://t.co/h2QBdeNOYe pic.twitter.com/hLibdwf67m — CS:GO (@CSGO) May 3, 2021 Today …
These are the very best surf maps for CSGO
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
It may not seem like it now, but Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s underground surf community is thriving thanks to all the new players that have joined the game over the last year. Because of that, there’s no better time to break out our top three favorite surf maps of all time and take a look at the CSGO mod’s first full-length game based on surfing. Every player who’s tried their hand …
Latest Steam scam likely a hoax as “Secret Club” makes mysterious appearance
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
“Fivetowns,” “Seventowns,” “Vote for my Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team…” All players have heard these before. Steam has no shortage of scams trying to steal players’ passwords, games, and items from unsuspecting their inventories. But thankfully, the platform’s latest viral threat probably isn’t real at all. With that out of the way, the strange videos do seem to be trying to let players in on a secret. When it comes to …
flusha announces new CSGO roster featuring suNny and sergej
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Former Fnatic member Robin “flusha” Rönnquist has revealed a star-studded lineup for his next Counter-Strike: Global Offensive project three months after stepping down from his previous team. The cat is finally out of the bag as CSGO professional player flusha has officially announced his new team’s roster. The international roster will feature some of the brightest stars in CSGO who’ll play under a mystery organization that is soon to be revealed. …
Vitality to bench rpk after Blast Premier Showdown, add Kyojin
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Cédric “RpK” Guipouy will be benched after the Blast Premier Showdown by Vitality, which is set to replace him with young rookie Jason “Kyojin” Nguyen. The announcement follows a series of disappointing results as the French team has failed to return to title-winning form since the start of 2021. The legendary player, who spent the past three years playing for Vitality, will take time to reevaluate his options. He initially …
CadiaN wraps up ESL Pro League with a memorable clutch against Gambit
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
ESL Pro League Season 13 finally culminates with Heroic coming out as the winners. The Danish in-game leader Casper “cadiaN” Møller capped off the series in a historic clutch that has blown away the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans. In a seven-hour-long series of five maps, Heroic’s performance remained top-notch. The Danes won their map picks and finally thrashed Gambit on the final map Mirage. Everyone had expected a brutal battle between the …
Heroic defeat Gambit Esports in ESL Pro League 13 grand final
William Davis
Counter-Strike
In a five-map thriller, Heroic edged out a victory against Gambit Esports in the grand finals of ESL Pro League Season 13, with Casper “cadiaN” Moller pushing his team across the finish line with a stellar performance. The series really went the distance, taking almost eight hours. The action kicked off on Heroic’s pick of Inferno, but it was Gambit Esports that looked better in the first half of the …
These 2 Overpass lineups let CTs lock up the B bombsite from A
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
The unique map design of Overpass makes it a bit tricky to play on the Counter-Terrorists side. Learning these two lineups may help you win rounds on defense. While Overpass is a relatively CT-sided map, defending a site can be a nuisance if you don’t know your way around utility. Molotovs are crucial for blocking off narrow entryways on both the A and B sites, since Terrorists can easily catch …
FPX player zehN accidentally reveals roster information
William Davis
Counter-Strike
FunPlus Phoenix player Jesse “zehN” Linjala has accidentally revealed information about his team’s transfer activity after discussing contract negotiations with a Finnish streamer. According to zehN, FunPlus Phoenix is actively recruiting an in-game leader. The organization is currently negotiating a contract with Chris “chrisJ” De Jong. The Dutchman played for the team at the start of the year, but his loan from mousesports was not made permanent. FPX replaced chrisJ …
Gambit vs Heroic ESL Pro League Season 13 betting predictions
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Heroic and Gambit are set to face off against one another in Sunday’s ESL Pro League Season 13 grand finals. After a burst of success earlier this year, Heroic is back in full force, surprising just about everyone with how it’s made its way to the ESL Pro League Season 13 finals. Trouncing FURIA in the semifinals with a 20-3 T side across two maps, Heroic made it look easy …
Hints of CSGO Source 2 beta hidden in new Dota 2 update
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Valve added nearly all of CSGO’s shaders and entities to Dota 2 today with the MOBA’s massive Dawnbreaker Update. Danger Zone is shaping up to be one of the first parts of CSGO to make the jump to Source 2, judging from the Dota 2 patch. 10 minutes after Dota 2 fans met the game’s new hero, Valve pushed another update to the game that changed the signing on its …
OG announces flameZ as new fifth member of its CSGO roster
William Davis
Counter-Strike
OG has announced Shahar “flameZ” Shushan as the fifth and final member of its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster, as the Israeli joins from Team Endpoint. flameZ will fill the gap left by Issa “ISSAA” Murad’s departure last month. flameZ is considered as one of the rising talents in CSGO, with the 17-year-old making a name for himself at Team Endpoint over the past few months. With flameZ in the lineup, …
This sneaky flashbang lineup on Mirage will blind everyone
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Slick aim may help you bag kills in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but winning a round is a tall order without utility. You may use tactical smokes and molotovs to keep enemies away in a post-plant situation, but this new flashbang lineup can win you a game at a low cost. A newly discovered flashbang lineup for Mirage’s A site can make a huge difference in post-plant situations. If you’ve planted …
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.
