Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Study shows which color players are best in CSGO matchmaking
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players have long argued over which colors are best and worst in the game’s popular matchmaking. Now, we finally have a definitive answer. CSGO lets players customize almost every part of their experience inside the first-person shooter. After introducing weapons skins to the gaming world with its Arms Deal update, CSGO took the next step with Agent skins in Operation Shattered Web. Players can change their crosshair, …
Counter-Strike
CSGO scammer may face up to 8 years in prison for virtual theft
Fariha Bhatti
A Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player is reportedly serving eight years in jail for stealing a CS:GO knife worth $1400. Virtual cosmetics can be expensive whether it’s in Fortnite, Valorant, or CSGO. However, Valve’s shooter has the oldest player base that has figured out various ways to make money through these rare items. CSGO’s matured trading market is one of the players’ earning resources, often crowded with scammers and fraudsters. The …
Counter-Strike
Virtus.pro puts fnatic away in two at CS Summit 7 grand finals
M Alzamora
CS Summit 7’s grand final matchup between Virtus.pro and fnatic was close from start to finish, but it was Virtus.pro who walked away with the grand finals win 2-0. The finals started off on Virtus.pro’s Inferno pick, but it wasn’t until the map’s final rounds that the roster managed to lock down the map win. The first half went back and forth as Virtus.pro took four rounds on the attacking …
Counter-Strike
Kjaerbye speaks out after being benched by FaZe Clan
M Alzamora
FaZe Clan has benched rifler Markus “kjaerbye” Kjærbye after six months with the organization, with former Team Liquid star Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken set to take his place on FaZe’s international roster moving forward. While the news wasn’t an enormous surprise, the Danish player took his time to react publicly to the news. The now-former FaZe Clan member spoke out on the move for the first time on Twitter: Benched from …
Team Spirit destroy FunPlus Phoenix to win DreamHack Open January
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
DreamHack Open January featured two unlikely teams in its best-of-five grand final, but Team Spirit only needed three maps to put away FunPlus Phoenix for the tournament title. With this year’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive season now well underway, DreamHack Open January was an excellent opportunity for fans to check out some of the game’s lesser-known teams. Team Spirit is a regular competitor in the CIS region and rarely seen in international …
New CSGO framerate-lowering bug fixed by Astralis’ Bubzkji
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
A new bug in Valve’s shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has frustrated competitive players, who are now desperately seeking a viable solution. Astralis rifler Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen has a temporary fix until Valve comes through with a proper patch. Competitive CSGO players understand the value of high framerates. To get the most out of their PCs, players often play on the lowest settings and sacrifice beauty for function. Tailoring the settings is …
Who are the most toxic people on FACEIT? GuardiaN says the Danes
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács may not be on Natus Vincere’s active Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster, but he’s still putting in time on FACEIT’s servers. Since returning to streaming on Twitch over the past two weeks, the AWPER has been showing off his skills on everything from Danger Zone to FACEIT pickup games. While he’s having fun, it isn’t all sunshine and headshots for the veteran. GuardiaN called out Denmark as having …
FaZe Clan signs ex-Team Liquid star Twistzz to CSGO roster
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
FaZe Clan has confirmed the signing of Canadian star Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, as part of the 2021 revamp of its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye will be emptying his slot to make space for the new recruit. Team Liquid was quick to replace its ace rifler with Brazilian veteran Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo. That made Twistzz’s landing spot one of the biggest mysteries in all of esports. The …
Complexity Gaming officially parts ways with oBo
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Complexity Gaming’s young gun Owen “oBo” Schlatter has finally been released from contractual obligations as the organization has announced his official release. The inactive rifler will no longer be associated with the team as Complexity Gaming has cut ties in a public announcement. Today we are announcing the release of Owen @oBoCSGO Schlatter. We’d like to thank him for all his contributions to #COLCS and wish him the very best …
CSGO accuracy bug may ruin your aim when moving into a crouch
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
A Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player has revealed what might be a long-standing CSGO bug that can cause players to miss shots when moving between walking upright and crouching. Weapon accuracy is a big piece of the CSGO puzzle, and it’s something that players spend hours practicing. But a post on social media platform Reddit makes it looks like CSGO may have been fighting its players every step of the way. …
Ex-NiP coach slams Valve for CSGO neglect, praises Riot Games
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Valve’s recent ruling regarding coach-team communication during games has ruffled many feathers in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community. Former Ninjas in Pyjamas coach Faruk “pita” Pita took a dig at Valve on the matter, highlighting some significant issues in the developer’s management. The investigation into the coaching bug exploit saw 37 coaches sanctioned. However, some culprits who assisted the Esports Integrity Commission’s investigation during a “confession period” were let off the hook with …
CSGO releases RMR stickers, adds $5,000 disconnect bonus, more
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
January 27’s CSGO update was a huge deal in the game’s esports scene, but players have also gotten a chance to grab 2020’s mission Major tournament stickers. Players can grab three capsules full of the 24 teams that would have been invited to the canceled 2020 ESL One Major tournament after last year’s Regional Ranking tournaments. As Valve announced its ruling on professional CSGO’s biggest scandals, it also released a …
Valve just banned nine CSGO coaches amid 2021 RMR rules overhaul
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
An update from Valve has made drastic changes to its competitive rules for pro teams for 2021 and issued lifetime bans to eight coaches from last fall’s cheating scandal incident that saw 37 pro coaches banned from professional play. Over the latter half of 2020, an extensive investigation by the Esports Integrity Commission revealed that 37 professional coaches had exploited a CSGO spectator bug to gain an unfair advantage, banning …
The incredible s1mple stat that no one is talking about
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
When the dust settled after the BLAST Global Final, fans had already helped Astralis and Natus Vincere make history. The match holds the record for highest viewer count for a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive match in history. But there was more, as Na`Vi star Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev put up dominant performances that revealed a hidden statistic that is much more impressive than the number of BLAST viewers. Even though s1mple took …
EXTREMUM reveals new CSGO roster with BnTeT, 100 Thieves core
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
EXTREMUM has finally unveiled its much-speculated Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster featuring the former 100 Thieves core and Hansel “BnTeT” Ferdinand. The Russian organization has announced its return to CSGO esports with the oceanic trio alongside Joakim “jkaem” Myrbostad and BnTeT. The new setup reunites the former 100 Thieves stars with Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunović as the team coach. We are ready to show you another way – #OURWAY pic.twitter.com/te0VtZnKVd — EXTREMUM …
Ninjas in Pyjamas unveils new logo, complete brand overaul
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Esports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas announced a complete rebrand on January 25, replacing its longstanding black, gold, and white shuriken with a symbol that takes its shape from “ancient Japanese emblems and Katakana,” according to an official press release from the organization. In a statement on the rebrand, Ninjas in Pyjamas CEO Hicham Chahine stressed the importance of widening the organization’s ability to connect with its audience. “Ninjas fight as …
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.
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
