Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
DIGNITAS makes the right move with Lekr0 roster signing
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson has signed with DIGNITAS ahead of this week’s matchups, according to a release from the organization. This officially reunites the player with his former mentor, Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg. Lekr0 has replaced Haris “H4RR3” Hadzic, who was benched by DIGNITAS just five months after the organization brought the rifler onboard to replace famed CSGO legend Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund. Happy to announce that I will …
Counter-Strike
Reports say legendary CSGO AWPer kennyS might switch to Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s legendary professional player Kenny “kennyS” Schrub may be packing to move to Valorant. The infamous CSGO player exodus to Valorant continues to advance as more players switch games. Most recently, OG’s former rifle Ethan “Ethan” Arnold left to serve Valorant esports, leaving CSGO fans in a shock. The nascent scene of Riot’s shooter is maturing into proper esports, tempting for North American CSGO players missing out on …
Counter-Strike
3 big questions ahead of ESL Pro League 13’s group A
M Alzamora
ESL Pro League Season 13 is just around the corner, so here’s a breakdown of the three biggest storylines ahead of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s premier league. ESL Pro League’s 13th season starts on March 8, with the six teams from group A kicking off weeks of professional CSGO matches. Group A’s initial matchups are an excellent opportunity for fans to check out some rosters that are unknown commodities looking to …
Counter-Strike
CSGO pro ragequits during official match, team wins anyway
Fariha Bhatti
A close match between Nordavind and Movistar Riders proved that rage-quitting is never a good idea. The two teams faced off in a close match in the lower bracket of the Dreamhack Masters Spring 2021 qualifiers. Nordavind looked sharp on the third map Mirage, leaving no space for Movistar Riders to breathe. The team was struggling throughout the second half, and Nordavind progressed to match point. The team seemingly had …
Counter-Strike
FaZe Clan’s karrigan reveals why he left mousesports
Fariha Bhatti
FaZe Clan’s new captain, Finn “karrigan” Andersen, has finally come clean about his major roster switch from mousesports to FaZe Clan. In an interview with HLTV, one of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s most respected in-game leaders, karrigan, threw light on his decision to step down from mousesports. The skipper said that he wanted to choose experienced players over youngsters. karrigan’s return to FaZe was just as confusing for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive …
News
The definitive list of the best weapon skins in CSGO
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s weapon skins are one of the only ways that players can customize their competitive experience, but which ones are the best of the bunch? Everyone has a different opinion on the hundreds of skins available in CSGO, so it’s a hard question to answer outright. But there are some skins that everyone agrees are impressive, and that’s thanks to how each artist created their design around CSGO’s …
Counter-Strike
s1mple drops 69 kills in FPL match that draws 100,000 viewers
William Davis
A match in FACEIT Pro League drew over 100,000 viewers on Twitch, and it boasted Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev finishing the overtime thriller with 69 frags to his name. While FPL games usually are a way for pros to relax and play some Counter-Strike: Global Offensive without too much pressure, a match earlier today drew a lot of attention. Both teams had some of the biggest names in the game on …
News
kennyS moves to G2 Esports bench, Jackz rejoins active roster
Fariha Bhatti
G2 Esports’ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division is set to undergo a major shift as Kenny “kennyS” Schrub has been moved to the bench. The legendary AWPer will switch places with Audric “JaCkz” Jug, who has been on G2 Esports’ bench for three months. JaCkz was dropped from the active roster when G2 picked up FaZe Clan rifler Nikola “NiKo” Kovač in the biggest signing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive history. It …
electronic joins s1mple at the top of CSGO’s player rankings
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Even after a rough IEM Katowice 2021, it looks like no one can stop Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev or Denis “electronic” Sharipov. But two of Katowice’s grand finalists are making a move on them. Natus Vincere struggled in last week’s IEM Katowice, dropping out of the tournament in fifth place after losing three in a row to FURIA, Team Liquid, and eventual champions Gambit, respectively. But one poor tournament can’t wipe …
Gambit and VP are clear winners in the latest CSGO rankings
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
This week’s rankings are proof that in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, hard work and consistent play can pay off in a big way. Both Gambit Esports and Virtus.pro have rightfully taken spots among CSGO’s top five teams, and that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Even though Gambit rolled through VP in last weekend’s IEM Katowice 2021 grand finals, both teams have earned their places among CSGO’s top rosters. What’s almost …
These are the best available free agent players in CSGO today
William Davis
Counter-Strike
These are the best Counter-strike: Global Offensive free agent pros available as of March 2021. Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen is a storied Danish in-game leader and AWPer. In the past, he’s represented such organizations as Dignitas, North, and OpTic Gaming. He found the most success with North, winning DreamHack Masters Stockholm 2018 and several DreamHack Open tournaments. MSL was benched by North in October 2020 and was released from his contract …
These are the most infamous VAC-banned CSGO pros
William Davis
Counter-Strike
These are the most infamous Counter-Strike: Global offensive pros that have received VAC bans from Valve. A VAC ban is the harshest punishment a CSGOplayer can receive. While the system may not catch every cheater, when caught they get banned for life. For pro players, this means that they can again never play in a major, the most important CSGO tournaments of the year. Simon “smn” Beck was a German …
Take a first look at the new CSGO map remake of de_tuscan
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Legendary Counter-Strike 1.6 map Tuscan is back, with a reworked version to be released by the creator Colin “Brute” Volrath. Ever since the initial release of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2012, fans have been asking for the return of Tuscan. The map, with a history dating back to the 1.6 version of the game, has been reported as being worked on for the past two years. In September 2020, community …
Miracle CSGO grenade sends AWP right into a player’s hands
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s HE grenades have produced some awesome clips for players to show off, but this Reddit clip is a great example of things just working out. Inferno players know that once a site is under attack, the round might get a little hard to win. It’s even harder if the player is on eco. But an HE grenade was all it took for one player to snag …
MAD Lions looking to add international players to CSGO team
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The Spanish organization MAD Lions is looking for international players to fill out their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. According to a report by 1pv.fr, MAD Lions is considering several European players for its CSGO team. The news comes as MAD Lions are down to only one active player, with only Thomas “TMB” Bundsbaek remaining. It would mean a major shift in direction for the organization, as it has fielded a …
FunPlusPhoenix, chrisJ split without a deal as SuNny stands in
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Former mousesports AWPer Chris “chrisj” de Jong left FunPlusPhoenix’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster after failing to finalize a deal, according to an official release from the team. Many expected that chrisJ would stay on with FPX for ESL Pro League Season 13, especially after FPX released an entire highlight reel welcoming chrisJ to the organization’s CSGO roster. But a statement from the team’s general manager Peta “Peca” Markovic revealed that …
Ethan moves to Valorant, leaves Evil Geniuses for 100 Thieves
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Evil Geniuses has announced the departure of Ethan “Ethan” Arnold, with the player set to transition to Valorant and join 100 Thieves’ roster in Riot Games’ tactical shooter. After competing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for over five years, Ethan will now make the switch to Valorant. The 20-year-old splits after three years with the same roster, which competed as NRG Esports until 2019. With the team, he won a variety …
Hobbit shines in Gambit’s 3-1 win over Virtus.pro at IEM Katowice
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Gambit Esports threw everything it had at Virtus.pro in the IEM Katowice 2021 finals and it was enough to put the organization back at the top of Counter-Strike for the first time since winning a major in 2017. No one expected the grand finals of IEM Katowice to feature Gambit Esports and Virtus.pro, but both teams ran over opponents that analysts thought were more talented. With wins over Astralis, Team …
How to take mid control on Inferno using utility
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Playing Inferno can be a nuisance if you don’t know your way around utility. Counter-Strike: Global offensive’s complex map inferno has confined alleys and tight chokepoints that make aim duels redundant. You can use either an AWP or a shot gun and still win the game. Unlike other classic maps like dust 2, Inferno has little to do with the aim. Whoever has the sharper strategy takes away the win …
This is how the Cyberpunk 2077 version of Overpass looks
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Overly competitive and razor-sharp map Overpass could be fun as well. A fan’s recreation of the dull map is upbeat, eerie, and a spot-on version of Cyberpunk 2077. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s map pool is primarily decorated with earthy tones. Dust 2 and Mirage’s popularity has overshadowed a lot of the other maps, but Overpass has managed to hold its own. The bomb defusal set in a park built in Berlin …
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.
