Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality issued $10,000 fine for stream-sniping during BLAST Premier
Fariha Bhatti
The Esports Integrity Commission has fined Team Vitality $10,000 due to the recent BLAST Premier Global Final controversy. The French roster managed to send Team Liquid to the lower bracket in a smooth 2-0 fashion. However, a mistake on Team Vitality’s part earned them a fine of $10,000. ESIC issues $10,000 fine to team Vitality in response to stream-sniping breach of the ESIC Code. While there was no malicious intention …
Counter-Strike
ESIC has just banned 35 CSGO pro players for match fixing
Olivia Richman
Match-fixing continues to be a problem in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro scene. The Esports Integrity Commission has confirmed 35 bans after conducting investigations into breaches of the Anti-Corruption Code in CSGO competitions. This was a two-year process of investigating match-fixing in Australia, Europe, and the United States. ESIC found that the CSGO players in question had bet on their own matches or bet against their own team in ESIC …
Counter-Strike
Device registers a historic Deagle clutch in BLAST Premier Final
Fariha Bhatti
Nicolai “device” Reedtz is generally known for his daring AWP plays. However, his recent showing at BLAST Premier Global Final proves that he can clutch a win with any weapon he’s handed. Unbeatable throughout the BLAST Premier Global Final, Astralis locked horns with Team Vitality in the upper bracket finals. While fans had expected a tight-knit fight, device’s Deagle clutch was extraordinary. After consecutive round losses, Astralis was dealing with …
Counter-Strike
mousesports drops chrisJ after 7 years, acoR joins from MAD Lions
Fariha Bhatti
mousesports has confirmed the signing of new AWPer Frederik “acoR” Gyldstrand to its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. The German organization has finally revealed the new addition to its CSGO division ahead of cs_summit 7. With akoR joining the squad, Chris “chrisJ” de Jong will be emptying his slot to make space for the new recruit. Please welcome @acoRCS to mouz CS:GO Frederik will strengthen our roster with immediate effect and …
Counter-Strike
GODSENT confirms signing TACO, felps for new Brazilian lineup
Fariha Bhatti
GODSENT has officially revealed its overhauled Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lineup, featuring a lineup of Brazilian veterans. The Swedish organization has finally confirmed the signing of a Brazilian roster led by some of South America’s top stars. Managed by Ricardo “dead” Sinigaglia, the team reunites Epitácio “TACO” de Melo and João “felps” Vasconcellos under the GODSENT umbrella. The roster was previously leaked by GODSENT in a job application. GODSENT É BRASIL …
Counter-Strike
Astralis still tops CSGO team rankings, Gambit breaks through
M Alzamora
While most professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams took time to relax over the game’s winter player break, Gambit continued to showcase dominant performances as it played through the holidays. The top half of this week’s CSGO rankings haven’t changed all that much since the conclusion of the IEM Global Challenge last December, but Gambit’s continued presence on the list in the number four spot is something that fans shouldn’t ignore. …
Counter-Strike
s1mple tops ZywOo in CSGO player rankings, Astralis climbing back
M Alzamora
As Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut compete in the BLAST Global Finals, the two also went head to head in WIN.gg’s biweekly player rankings. s1mple starts off the year in the number one spot, narrowly beating out the Vitality AWPer in the first set of player rankings for the new year. Over the past three months, both players are nearly tied in rounds played and total kills, and …
Counter-Strike
What is CSGO’s player count in 2021? Is it growing or dying?
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive grew massively in 2020, and despite the game being eight years old it shows no signs of slowing down in 2021. In January 2020, CSGO suddenly jumped from an average daily player count of 650,000 to over 800,000. It was a big moment for Valve’s first-person shooter. After years of lagging behind Dota 2, CSGO was finally in the spotlight. Over the next several months, CSGO would …
Everything you need to know about CSGO’s Steam trading cards
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Steam’s trading card system is a cool way for players to show they’re fans of certain games on the platform, but Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s free-to-play status makes the game’s trading cards behave a bit differently. For some players, collecting CSGO’s trading cards is a way to grab some badges to show off on their Steam profile. CSGO has six different badges to earn through crafting. There are five different levels …
These are the very best cases to open in CSGO
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
One of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s biggest draws is its weapon cases that offer users the chance to spin the wheel for a rare drop. But with over 20 types of cases and hundreds of skins available, which is the best CSGO case to open? Even though it’s hard to come up with a definitive answer to that question, there are a few things players should keep in mind as they’re …
honda gets 3 aces in debut with FURIA against G2 Esports
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
FURIA Esports’ last-minute recruit, Lucas “honda” Honda, registered a historic debut with the team. The Brazilian player entered the server as a fresh talent with minimal experience in pro Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Paytyn “Junior” Johnson’s inability to travel to the BLAST Premier Global Final due to passport issues opened a slot for newly minted honda, and he made the most of the opportunity. FURIA tags Honda to replace junior at …
Ethan kicks off 2021 with a pistol round ace at BLAST Finals
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Evil Geniuses’ Ethan “Ethan” Arnold exhibited an incredible show of skills with a first-round ace against Astralis, marking a heroic entry into 2021. Evil Geniuses have been going through a slump lately. A confident and aggressive play from Evil Geniuses in the first map reminded the audience that the team’s still in the game. Ethan’s performance in Evil Geniuses is often overshadowed by the likes of Tarik “tarik” Celik and …
You can now play Among Us in CSGO, and this is how
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Among Us is still a popular game, and it seems like the game of deception and strategy has come full circle, appearing inside Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as a custom map. Among Us is a spiritual successor to a popular mod for Garry’s Mod called Trouble in Terrorist Town, where players have to figure out which one of their teammates is actually an imposter before they manage to wipe out the …
ENCE continues to rebuild struggling CSGO team, drops Twista
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Assistant coach and analyst Slaava “Twista” äsänen will bid farewell to ENCE as the organization gears for a major overhaul in 2021. In a “mutual agreement,” the organization and the coach have decided to part ways to facilitate the revamp at ENCE’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division. The assistant coach to Eetu “sAw” Saha will continue his journey in another organization. Slaava @TwistaCSGO Räsänen exits ENCE coaching staffWe went through quite …
Fivetown is CSGO’s newest scam, and this is how it works
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
A new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scam is making the rounds on Steam. Here are the signs users need to watch out for. It’s called “fivetown,” and it’s easy to fall for. A user gets a message from someone on their friends list saying “Hey, vote for my csgo team on fivetown – we just need two more votes.” Clicking on the link presents users with a website which asks them …
Cloud9 announces Woxic departure from CSGO team
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Cloud9 has released an official statement confirming Özgür “Woxic” Eker’s exit from the active lineup. General manager of the organization’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division, Henry “HenryG” Greer, has announced that Woxic is now free to explore his options after parting with the organization. Today we announce that we have mutually parted ways with @w0xic. Please stay tuned for Henry’s statement for important context behind this decision.Thank you for your time in the …
GODSENT accidentally leaked its new TACO-led CSGO roster
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
So that just happened. GODSENT accidentally leaked its new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster in a job listing looking for a video editor. The post revealed MIBR star Epitacio “TACO” de Melo alongside a new lineup of Brazilian players. Rosters are usually kept a secret by the organizations themselves until the official announcement, although esports insiders often like to leak contract rumors and trades. That wasn’t the case here, as the …
G2 Esports site crashes upon new jersey release
William Davis
Counter-Strike
G2 Esports’ website crashed minutes after the release of its 2021 pro kit jersey. On January 15, G2 revealed its 2021 uniform and fans were more than ready to buy them. In the first minutes of the launch, the website crashed, forcing fans to wait in line. HERE. WE. GO.Our official G2 x adidas 2021 Pro Kit Jersey is available NOW!???? https://t.co/EkftPOvt6x pic.twitter.com/fDC1v1BV1B — G2 Esports (@G2esports) January 15, 2021 …
cs_summit 7 teams includes new MIBR lineup, post-flusha Fnatic
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Beyond the Summit has revealed the 12 teams invited to compete in the seventh edition of the cs_summit. The tournament picks up right after BLAST Premier Global Finals and will some of the world’s best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squads for its unique laid-back broadcast that cs_summit is known for. The event will include the following teams: Cloud9 Complexity Gaming DIGNITAS FaZe Clan Fnatic FURIA Esports Heroic MIBR mousesports Ninjas in …
Counter-Strike legend GeT_RiGhT leaves game to stream full-time
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
After over a decade of playing for some of Counter-Strike’s best organizations, major winner Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund has announced his plans to take a step back from the game’s esports scene. The announcement came on January 16 with a tweet from GeT_RiGhT’s current team, DIGNITAS, where the player will stay as he begins a full-time streaming career. According to the tweet and its accompanying media, GeT_RiGhT will host his own …
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.
