Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
CSPPA announces player committee to work on world ranking rules
M Alzamora
The Counter-Strike Professional Players Association has announced a player committee dedicated to working on refining the rules that dictate its own world rankings. In a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive world where there exist several different sets of world rankings that claim to be definitive, the one organization that should be focusing on player health and well-being wants in on the ranking game too. A one-page press release distributed on November 2 …
Counter-Strike
Vitality’s Nivera substitution leads to BLAST Premier win
M Alzamora
Team Vitality won a close match against BIG with the most effective substitution fans have seen so far in pro Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Map substitutions are the newest addition to tournament level CSGO, with organizers starting to allow teams to substitute players in between maps for the first time in the game’s esports history. In Vitality’s close series against BIG at BLAST Premier, it seems to have made a huge …
Counter-Strike
Here’s how to make a new jump throw bind in CSGO
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s best smokes are often the hardest ones to throw, but a jump throw bind makes them much easier. Jumpthrow binds are probably the most complicated bind to make in CSGO, but a few additions to a player’s autoexec.cfg file make them that much easier. The problem is that jumpthrows aren’t just one command. They use several commands grouped together under what CSGO’s engine calls an alias. Unfortunately, …
Counter-Strike
New MIBR roster debuts against Astralis at BLAST Premier
M Alzamora
MIBR’s revamped roster will face Astralis in their first match ever, and it will be a tough one. Formerly Brazil’s best team, MIBR has undergone some serious roster changes in the past month, and their first test definitely isn’t going to gently ease them into this new era. After the organization benched longtime stars Epitácio “TACO” de Melo and Fernando “fer” Alvarenga, in-game leader Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo decided to remove …
Counter-Strike
FaZe Clan drops coach YnK shortly after NiKo’s move to G2 Esports
M Alzamora
Alongside the announcement of Nikola “NiKo” Kovač’s transfer to G2 Esports, FaZe Clan confirmed the release of head coach Yanko “YNk” Paunović. The two high-profile changes came soon after FaZe announced the return of Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer Gustafsson following a six-month break from professional CSGO. The timing is curious, and may indicate that olof’s break was related to his relationship with the two. Regardless, FaZe is now down a head …
Counter-Strike
NiKo goes from FaZe to G2 Esports in “biggest CSGO signing in history”
Fariha Bhatti
After much delay, the transfer of FaZe Clan’s Nikola “NiKo” Kovač to G2 Esports has finally materialized. The Bosnian superstar will now enter the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive battlegrounds in G2’s jersey. The rifler aptly announced the move with a new profile pic on Twitter. Rumors of G2 making a move from FaZe to G2 first started swirling in September and have been circulating since then, but neither G2 nor the …
Counter-Strike
BLAST introduces new rules that target CSGO coaching exploits
Olivia Richman
The BLAST Premier Fall Series tournament organizer is letting Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans know that it is addressing the coaching bug scandal. BLAST introduced some changes to its rulebook that will prevent CSGO coaches from using the spectating bug that has seen 37 coaches banned from competitive play. After the Esports Integrity Commission uncovered the prevalent usage of the unfair coaching exploit, many CSGO organizations have opted to keep the …
Counter-Strike
New CSGO update brings many engine changes, new translations
M Alzamora
The most recent CSGO update was quite large considering how little it really changed. Translations made up the majority of the update, but there were also a number of changes inside the game’s engine itself. These are difficult to track, with each change directly related to a process inside CSGO. Although this update changed 2,000 lines of code, there’s a catch. Steam Database tracks every change, whether it’s changing a …
Olofmeister reportedly returns to FaZe for BLAST Premier Fall
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer is set to return to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive following Nikola “NiKo” Kovači’s imminent departure from Faze. The rifler will lurk the maps for FaZe in Blast Premier Fall Series, according to a report by Cybersport.pl. olofmeister announced his break from CSGO in May and attributed his temporary departure to a lack of motivation. The CSGO maestro took indefinite time to recuperate and recharge to come back stronger. …
Cloud9 drops current CSGO roster for breach of contract
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Cloud9 has terminated the contracts of four members of its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster due to multiple breaches of contract. Johnny “JT” Theodosiou, Ian “Motm” Hardy, Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek, and coach Tiaan “T.c” Coertzen are all free agents after violating some rules the organization set in place due to the ongoing global health crisis. Dust2.us and Rush B Media reported earlier this weekend that these CSGO players breached their contracts multiple …
MIBR adds three stand-ins to roster for BLAST Premier Fall Series
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
MIBR has announced the addition of three stand-ins to its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster for BLAST Premier Fall Series and Flashpoint Season 2. Lucas “LUCAS1” Teles, Leonardo “leo_drk” Oliveira, and Vinicius “v$m” Moreira will be wearing the MIBR jersey until the end of this year. The Brazilian beacons have made a heroic re-entry into the professional scene of CSGO with a new roster of five. The addition of this latest …
FaZe NiKo’s transfer to G2 Esports appears all but official
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Reports from two outlets claim that FaZe Clan will transfer Nikola “NiKo” Kovač to G2 Esports in the coming days. Both teams have struggled in recent tournaments, but rumors of a deal for one of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s best players have been making the rounds since first reported in mid-September. The terms of the reported contract have not been revealed. Despite the lack of public information, reports from FaZe’s initial …
Vitality’s ZywOo pulls incredible 1 HP clutch versus Astralis
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
In Team Vitality’s semifinal matchup versus Astralis, Vitality AWPer Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut showed why he’s considered one of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s greatest players. DreamHack Fall’s upper bracket final was always going to be good, but ZywOo’s one-versus-four clutch against the Danes was something else. With the game tied at 4-4 on Dust 2, Astralis’ Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander had taken out four of Vitality’s players. ZywOo wasn’t in a good spot, …
Complexity signs 100 Thieves’ jks ahead of BLAST Premier Fall
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Complexity has announced the signing of former 100 Thieves rifler Justin “jks” Savage to its under-manned Counter-Strike Global Offensive roster just days ahead of BLAST Premier Fall’s opening rounds. The North American organization revealed the signing on its official Twitter account alongside an overview of jks’s greatest moments. The rifler spent almost a year on 100T CSGO roster before the organization’s founder decided to pull the plug and begin dismantling …
ESIC bans seven CSGO players for betting-related offences in MDL
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community has been shaken by another cheating scandal. The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has released an initial report in which seven players have been issued a 12-month ban for their involvement in betting offenses. ESIC issues 12 month bans to seven CS:GO players for betting related offences. ESIC has also referred the matter to law enforcement.MDL match fixing investigations are still ongoing and further updates are …
cogu returns to MIBR as coach after TACO, fer, and FalleN benched
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Brazilian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team MIBR announced the signing of ESWC 2006 winner and former MIBR player Raphael “cogu” Camargo as the team’s new head coach. The hiring comes only days before MIBR’s planned return to Counter-Strike after benching two of Brazil’s veteran players in Fernando “fer” Alvarenga and Epitácio “TACO” de Melo, which saw in-game leader Gabriel “FalleN” Toldeo to bench himself in protest. Cogu now joins an MIBR …
This CSGO player built a custom wooden gun controller
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Fans have seen Counter-Strike Global Offensive players use everything from bananas to DDR mats to play CSGO. But despite the obvious comparison, this might be the first gun used as a CSGO controller. To start off, the post showed the construction of a well-made replica of a handgun made from wood. Created entirely from scratch, the trigger was turned into a mechanism to register a mouse click before the controller …
Gen.G in talks to acquire Liazz, Gratisfaction and AZR still await new offers
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Gen.G has zeroed in on 100 Thieves’ Jay “Liazz” Tregillgas and is reportedly negotiating to acquire the player to its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. The team currently has two vacant slots, one of which Liazz will be filling, if the move materializes. Gen.G has already initiated discussions with the player, according to the report by DBLTAP. 100 Thieves’ young rifler’s move to Gen.G should be quick in order to complete …
Everything you need to know about BLAST Premier’s Fall Season
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
BLAST Premier Fall is just around the corner, and WIN has all the information fans need. With the tournament’s groups revealed, there’s no safe place to hide for teams trying to sneak their way into the group stage. This year’s leap backward to online competition has turned some players into Counter-Strike gods. Some teams can’t take the pressure of the LAN environment or simply play better from the comfort of …
GODSENT reportedly shopping CSGO roster amid pronax controversy
M Alzamora
News
A report claims that GODSENT plans to transfer its CSGO roster to an unknown team. The rumors come on the heels of an internal dispute between GODSENT co-founder Marcus “Pronax” Wallsten and the organization’s board of directors. Since the dispute began, little has been said about the organization’s improving Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. Its current form in the ongoing DreamHack Open Fall 2020 tournament lends weight to the report, 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.
