Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
What’s next for oSee and ex-Cloud9 players after losing floppy?
M Alzamora
As Cloud9 announced that Ricky “floppy” Kemery had signed with Cloud9, the rest of C9’s CSGO roster is moving out to make room for the new. C9 general manager Henry “HenryG” Greer is probably just as surprised as some fans are. During a September interview, AWPer Josh “oSee” Ohm said that he and floppy had been extended invitations to C9 roster, one it planned on taking international with a newly …
Counter-Strike
s0m leaves Gen.G, retires from CSGO to join NRG Valorant roster
Fariha Bhatti
Sam “s0m” Oh has announced his retirement from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to make a fresh start in new tactical shooter Valorant. The 18-year-old rifler will be following in the footsteps of his former in-game leader, Damian “daps” Steele. NRG took to twitter to announce s0m’s arrival to their Valorant division that is still in its embryonic stage with only two members on its roster so far. With s0m’s addition, the …
Counter-Strike
This Counter-Strike mod is the true origin behind Among Us
M Alzamora
A mod based on Counter-Strike was the original Among Us, even if it has been largely fogotten since. Murder mysteries aren’t new, but their appearance in popular games and streaming is. With Twitch streamers lying and scheming their way out of certain doom, the newly popularized game Among Us has found new life through the streaming community. But despite the game’s reputation as being unique, there was one CS mod …
Counter-Strike
Cloud9 confirms floppy’s CSGO signing was worth big money
M Alzamora
Cloud9 has almost finished its roster with the addition of Ricky “floppy” Kemery in a deal C9’s general manager Henry Greer said was worth more than $430,000. Floppy is the only player that has survived a Cloud9 rebuild that started when the team announced that it would release the organization’s current roster after a mere eight months. The South African esports team ATK agreed to a roster transfer with Cloud9 …
mousesports releases Rejin after admission to CSGO cheating
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
mousesports announced that it has released head coach Allan “Rejin” Petersen after his involvement in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s coaching exploit scandal. Rejin was one of 37 coaches who received punishments handed down by the Esports Integrity Coalition after it investigated reports that CSGO coaches had exploited a flaw in CSGO’s spectator code. The exploit gave coaches free reign over a CSGO server by allowing them to spectate any spot on …
Xyp9x returns to Astralis practices, return date announced
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Clutch minister Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth will be returning to the active roster of Astralis after a four-month hiatus. The 25-year old has already begun practicing to rejoin the competitive scene soon. Xyp9x and team took to Twitter to announce their delight over the comeback of the star player. Despite dusting off is mouse and keyboard, Astralis’ roster for DreamHack Open Fall 2020 has already been registered and Xyp9x will not …
NRG signs ImAPet and daps, s0m signing uncertain
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
It’s been confirmed that NRG Esports was actually pursuing ex-Gen.G in-game leader Damien “daps” Steele and 100 Thieves head coach Chet “ImAPet” Singh. NRG announced two members of its debut Valorant roster in a tweet from the organization’s official Twitter account. The move confirms reports that the organization was interested in the CSGO veterans. Those rumors also linked Gen.G’s Sam “s0m” Oh to the organization’s plans, but neither s0m nor …
CS 1.6 creator Minh Le creates new company with Astralis owner
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Update 10/10/20: Minh Le clarified his postion with SCATTERSHOT Ltd. in a quote provided to WIN.gg. “I once discussed the opportunity to work as a technical adviser for a new FPS esports shooter with Nikolaj [Nyholm]. However, it was a misconception that I thought I could do it while still maintaining my position at Pearl Abyss. The bottom line is that I’ve been working at Pearl Abyss and will continue …
CSGO legend pashaBiceps may be returning to CSGO pro scene
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Jaroslaw “pashaBiceps” Jarzabkowski might be returning to the pro Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene. The CSGO legend is rumored to be joining Team Liquid’s new academy roster, as was first reported by PolishLeaks. pashaBiceps joined Team Liquid as a streamer in August. We’re getting a buff ????????????Please welcome our new friend @paszaBicepshttps://t.co/E1Qp9diMUs pic.twitter.com/WU5SpOBiRY — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) August 5, 2020 This wouldn’t be out of the question for Team Liquid. They’ve …
Na’Vi surprises Astralis in ESL Pro League Season 12 Finals
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
After a month of competition, ESL Pro League’s Season 12 crowned Astralis its champion after a dramatic 3-2 reverse sweep against Natus Vincere. Both teams took different paths to book their grand finals spot, but both looked sharp in the grand finals. Na’Vi came into the ESL Pro League grand finals with a one-map advantage thanks to its red hot streak throughout the season. Over the course of 10 games, Na`Vi …
Who is the ESIC and what power do they have in CSGO?
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans have become more aware of the Esports Integrity Commission recently when they found 34 coaches guilty of exploiting a spectating bug. But who exactly is the ESIC? The Esports Integrity Commission was formed in 2016, representing a portion of the tournament organizers in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The commission was established in esports’ infancy, just prior to its explosion during CSGO’s 2016 Columbus Major. But the ESIC’s …
s1mple claims that Na`Vi didn’t know coaching bug existed
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Natus Vincere star Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev weighed in on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s current coaching scandal, saying that neither he nor his teammates even knew the bug existed. s1mple’s tweet came in response to Astralis’ Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, who voiced his own opinion on CSGO’s coaching scandal. s1mple issued his own statement and denied any knowledge of the matter before it became major news. I can say that my team never …
CSGO’s Dust 2 was just remade in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Fans have been given another reminder that just about every game works with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s classic map Dust 2. A player has recreated CSGO’s famous map inside the newest edition of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater from top to bottom. The playable level was created inside the game’s PS4 level editor and allows players to kickflip their way from the A bombsite all way to B in a completely different …
Flashpoint 2 set for London LAN in November 2020
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
During a FLASHPOINT Q&A #26 on October 1, the organization’s commissioner Christopher “Montecristo” Kjell Mykles confirmed that FLASHPOINT 2 will take place sometime in November in London, England. Barely a minute into the livestream, FLASHPOINT analyst Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg leaked the location of the tournament’s second season, kicking off a string of new information regarding the organization-backed league. After months of rumors that North American esports organizations were planning a …
CSGO teams are working with banned coaches after ESIC verdict
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Despite the Esports Integrity Commission’s decision to ban a number of coaches for spectator bug abuse, several esports organizations fielding Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams have decided to continue working with their banned coaches. The investigation of the coaching bug exploit kicked off as soon as it was brought to light by official Michal Slowinski. ESIC’s preliminary report saw 37 coaches banned from acting out their duties in competitive matches. Soon …
ENCE skirts ESIC punishment, moves coach Twista to analyst role
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
When the Esports Integrity Commission released its report on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s coaching exploit, ENCE’s Slaava “Twista” Räsänen was on the list of coaches facing sanctions. The Finn was cited for using CSGO’s coaching exploit alongside 36 other coaches after an investigation into the matter. For using the exploit, the ESIC handed down a 15-month punishment to Twista that prohibits the coach from interacting with any players when competing in …
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.
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