Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
New CSGO patch upgrades chicken models, brings new skins, and more
Fariha Bhatti
New Counter-Strike: Global Offensive patch notes mark the end of Operation Broken Fang. But it brings tons of stuff for players to sink their teeth in. Valve has rolled in a whole new case with bubbly skins for CSGO weapons, a new map, and a model update for the chickens. The May 4th update is one of the most significant ones since Valve added Vertigo to the active duty map …
Counter-Strike
Train dropped from active duty map pool, replaced by Ancient
Fariha Bhatti
Train’s tenure in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is over. At least, as far as active duty goes. Valve has revamped the active duty map pool with the addition of a fresh new location, Ancient. CSGO hasn’t seen a massive map update in a long time. While the game has a tall list of unique maps designed by developers and community members, the competitive map pool was still restricted to the same …
Counter-Strike
Is Valve now permanently banning CSGO account boosters?
Steven Rondina
Valve is cracking down on boosting in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. A CSGO player recently took to Reddit to discuss their recent banishment from the game. In a post on the site, they shared a message they received from Valve that suggests a larger crackdown on accounts with manipulated MMR is currently underway. “The account you are writing in for was identified as having its CSGO Skill Group and/or profile level …
Counter-Strike
Valve admits it was letting cheaters into trusted CSGO games
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans, rejoice! A recent fix from Valve may change your competitive experience. Cheaters have always been a nuisance in CSGO. However, a recent surge in hackers was reported by several CSGO casters, which players confirmed. Most games were littered with spin bot users, wall-hacks, trigger shots, and other advanced hacks that squeezed the fun out of casual games. The developer has heard the woes and revealed the …
Counter-Strike
PhantomL0rd lawsuit reveals Twitch’s secret Strike Guide
Olivia Richman
Twitch has been criticized quite harshly over the years for doling out inconsistent bans to its streamers, but a recent lawsuit revealed that the streaming platform may have a Strike Guide that it follows when it comes to these decisions. James “PhantomL0rd” Vargas won his lawsuit against Twitch on April 23. Twitch banned PhantomL0rd in 2016, and the trial’s jury eventually concluded the Amazon-owned company “breached its standard partner contract, …
Counter-Strike
s1mple talks about player burnout in CSGO, says there’s always motivation
Fariha Bhatti
A plethora of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players stepped back from pro play in 2021, citing burnout symptoms. But, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev is more motivated than ever. Mental health issues in esports athletes were a hot pic during the online format of 2021. The conversation is still active, but s1mple is confused about why a professional player would feel less motivated to compete. On his live stream, the Ukrainian player read a …
Counter-Strike
Valve called out by CSGO caster for rampant cheating
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the most challenging shooters to master, but its hacker problem may be a bigger issue than the steep learning curve. CSGO players are no stranger to enemies turning on third-party software to gain an edge in the middle of the game. Caster Harry “JustHarry” Russell brought this up after he was matched up against cheaters in his ranked games. My last 3 games of …
Counter-Strike
You can finally rush B on Dust 2 with this smoke lineup
Fariha Bhatti
Dust 2’s B site has changed quite a bit over the last year and that has come at the expense of the terrorist side. This quick smoke lineup may help create unique plays around the B site that will make things a bit easier. Last year, Valve tweaked the site and flipped the double doors, giving Counter-Terrorists a very powerful angle over the entrance to the site. This allows the …
Developer warns Source 2 might change how CSGO feels forever
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans have long clamored for the popular first-person shooter to be ported to the Source 2 engine, but it might not be everything they’re hoping for. A former Valve developer discussed what a Source 2-enabled CSGO might look like, and it’s not exactly what some fans have been expecting. Though other Valve titles have been ported to Source 2 effectively, differences in how the game is processed …
Astralis transfers dev1ce to Ninjas In Pyjamas CSGO roster
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Long-time Astralis star Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz has been transferred to Ninjas In Pyjamas on a three-year contract. After more than five years in an Astralis jersey, dev1ce will be seeking new opportunities at NiP. The transfer happens after some poor performances by Astralis during 2021, who are currently sitting without a trophy for this year. The transfer is a result of a personal request from dev1ce, according to an announcement …
How to play CSGO map Tuscan before official release
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike’s legendary map Tuscan is finally returning to the game with a modern look. CS 1.6 laid the base for competitive FPS gaming that matured into proper esports when CSGO was released. A few maps like Dust 2 and Nuke made the cut in Valve’s new shooter, but some iconic locations were left behind when CS 1.6 players migrated to Global Offensive. Tuscan was one of the most played competitive …
Newly discovered Nuke wall bang kills three enemies in one shot
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
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 …
summit1g shows off his diamond-encrusted mouse worth $100,000
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
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, …
People are confusing esports’ ESL with new European Super League
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
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 …
CSGO pro Elige upset for not getting an invite to Valorant 10-mans
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
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 …
Floppy, Xeppa leave CSGO to join Cloud9’s Valorant roster
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Ricky “floppy” Kemery and Erick “Xeppaa” Bach have officially stepped back from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but will remain under Cloud9’s banner as a part of its Valorant roster. Rumors of floppy transitioning to Valorant have lingered for a while now, but few expected Xeppaa to make the big switch. Cloud9 took to Twitter to confirm reports of floppy and Xeppaa joining the Valorant roster, two days after dropping its oldest …
Valve removes permaban on Jamppi, other VAC-banned CSGO pros
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Valve has finally updated its event guidelines for the first time in more than eight years, softening the permabans that have historically been leveled against VAC-banned players. The changes will see 25 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional players freed from the strict ban. These significant tweaks arrive with a focus on Valve-sponsored events for the 2021 RMR season. In a short blog post the developer stated that a VAC ban would …
Tarik steps down from Evil Geniuses, addresses Valo
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Tarik “tarik” Celik has announced his exit from Evil Geniuses to pursue content creation, putting the rumors of switching to Valorant to rest. Evil Geniuses’ ace rifler and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s one of the iconic players tarik has officialized his temporary break from competitive play. The rumors of him quitting CSGO for Riot Games’ shooter have been rife for quite a while, but the professional player clarified that he’s sitting …
Manchester United manager Ole Solskjaer invests in esports
William Davis
Counter-Strike
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 …
Who is Kyojin, Vitality’s newest CSGO player?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
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 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.
