Counter-Strike
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 …
Counter-Strike
electronic joins s1mple at the top of CSGO’s player rankings
M Alzamora
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 …
Counter-Strike
Gambit and VP are clear winners in the latest CSGO rankings
M Alzamora
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 …
Counter-Strike
These are the best available free agent players in CSGO today
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
MAD Lions looking to add international players to CSGO team
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
FunPlusPhoenix, chrisJ split without a deal as SuNny stands in
M Alzamora
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 …
Counter-Strike
Ethan moves to Valorant, leaves Evil Geniuses for 100 Thieves
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
Hobbit shines in Gambit’s 3-1 win over Virtus.pro at IEM Katowice
M Alzamora
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 …
Big update may be coming to CSGO, judging by dev server usage
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive developers have been spending hours inside the game’s development branch. Earlier this week there were five accounts connected to the mysterious development testbed, tying the beta server’s all-time high. While no one knows exactly which developers use the CSGO beta server, the past two years have shown that large CSGO updates usually go hand-in-hand with an uptick in usage of the beta server. Since the release of …
Who are the players behind CSGO sensation Team Spirit?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Who are the five players representing Team Spirit, the Russian squad experiencing a meteoritic rise to the top of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive? Following its victory at Dreamhack Open January and its surprising ascent to the semifinals of IEM Katowice 2021, Team Spirit is the talk of the town in the CSGO community. But who are these five relatively unknown CIS players that are running through their opposition at a record …
This is how to start a dedicated CSGO server in 2022
M Alzamora
News
Hosting a server in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lets players control almost every part of a CSGO game, from the players involved to the game modes being played, but it can be complicated to set up if you’re not prepared. Dedicated servers are one of the best parts of CSGO, with users able to host their own maps, provide other players with wacky game modes, and generally have more control over …
Na’Vi booted from IEM Katowice after loss to Gambit Esports
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Last year’s champion Natus Vincere has been eliminated from IEM Katowice 2021 after a 2-0 loss to Gambit Esports. In one of the most shocking upsets of this year’s IEM Katowice, Gambit Esports managed to eliminate the tournament favorites in Natus Vincere in the opening match of the playoffs. Gambit managed to surprise the Russian powerhouse in two maps, securing a spot in the semifinal. The action kicked off on …
Heroic removes niko and b0RUP, adds two MAD Lions players
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Heroic has made some significant changes to its roster, moving Johannes “b0RUP” Borup and Nikolaj “niko” Kristensen to the bench effective immediately. The organization has already found replacements in Rasmus “sjuush” Beck and Ismail “refrezh” Ali of MAD Lions. Heroic enjoyed a surge in relevance with the start of the online era. Casper “cadiaN” Møller and company transformed into a force to be reckoned with, taking matches against the likes of …
OG reportedly planning to bench NBK from CSGO roster
Fariha Bhatti
News
It seems that rumors of changes within OG are finally coming to fruition as reports of Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt being benched have begun to circulate. Professional teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are constantly going changing rosters, but OG has managed to stick to its initial five-man lineup for 14 months. The team was introduced in 2019, headed by ENCE’s Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, and hasn’t changed since. Following months of underwhelming …
This is how to skip the long warmup timer in CSGO
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Now that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is at the peak of its popularity, many players are looking for a simple command to shut off warmup. CSGO’s warmup period was a good idea in theory, but its not really there just for players to warm up. Most players that are queuing into games have already tested their accuracy on aim maps, headshot-only servers, and practice maps, so warmup time is usually spent …
We finally know what CSGO will look like in Source 2
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players have been waiting a long time for Valve to move the beloved first-person shooter to the fabled Source 2 engine, and it turns out that the game’s models and textures might hold some hints on their progress. When Valve started remaking the game’s classic maps several years ago, it suddenly shifted the way it named CSGO’s textures into a naming format used by Dota 2 and …
Can the new FaZe Clan CSGO roster finally win a major trophy?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
With the additions Finn “karrigan” Andersen and Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken to its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lineup, FaZe Clan has given new life to its hunt for a major trophy. Ever since entering CSGO back in 2016, FaZe Clan has been chasing a major title. During the chase, it has tried various players and directions for its roster. Lets take a look at the many players that represented FaZe Clan …
Why are big esports organizations leaving CSGO?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Since the start of 2020, several prominent esports organizations have decided to drop their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster and abandon competing in the game. While the current economic situation has made organizations more careful about investing in lineups across all games, CSGO is hit especially hard. 100 Thieves closed their CSGO division, Gen.G transfer-listed its lineup and isn’t thought to be interested in picking up another roster, and North seized …
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.
