Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
CS2 players are unhappy with Deathmatch spawns
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike 2 players are again upset at Valve, but it’s for a different reason – a refreshing change from the usual complaints about hacks. Players think CS2 Deathmatch needs another workshop visit for its broken spawns. DM mode is crucial in any shooter 5v5 game. Competitive players in CS2 used to look at community servers for their practice routines, but since Valve removed the 128 tick with sub tick, many …
Counter-Strike
Who is donk in CS2? All we know about the new rifler
Fariha Bhatti
Who is the young star behind Team Spirit’s historic clean sweep against FaZe Clan at IEM Katowice 2024? Here’s what we know about the Russian superstar Danil “donk” Kryshkovets in CS2. The Russian squad beat the FAZE Clan legends at the Grand Finals, taking home $400,000 out of IEM Katowice 2024’s US$1 million prize pool. A young rifler helmed Team Spirit’s smooth win at IEM Katowice. Following Team Spirit’s triumph …
Counter-Strike
Here’s how to change your mic in CS2
Fariha Bhatti
Communication is crucial in CS2, but new in-game settings are slightly complicated. If your mic isn’t picking audio in CS2, here’s what to do. Counter-Strike 2 is one of those FPS games that require constant communication and coordination among teammates. Without communication, you’re as good as dead. For that, you need a functioning microphone and headphones. Not just that, your mic should be crisp and clean. Otherwise, a simple misunderstanding …
Counter-Strike
Valorant map Haven is now playable in CS2 custom games
Fariha Bhatti
Have you ever wondered how Valve would design Valorant maps? This map creator has reimagined Valorant maps in CS2 style. An indie map creator has brought Haven into Counter Strike 2 using the latest Source 2 Engine. According to the creator, the project took two months to complete. Most Valorant recreations in CS2 maintain Riot’s style and color palette. Vibrant greenery and vivid objects are typical among all Valorant maps …
Counter-Strike
CS2 is raining Elo on players as Valve fixes rank
William Davis
Your CS2 rank may have gone up these past couple of weeks, and it’s not just due to your insane game sense and cracked aim. Ranking up was one of the best feelings in all of Global Offensive, but the new colored Rating system in CS2 doesn’t have quite the same impact. Still, seeing a number go up is one of gamers’ favorite activities, and Valve has acknowledged it. In …
Counter-Strike
Pro player s1mple praises underrated CS2 feature
Fariha Bhatti
It seems CS2 is finally growing on legendary player Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev as he finally praises an in-game feature. s1mple had a strong opinion about CS2 when it was released in September. He called it a “sh-t” game and asked players not to play it for at least three months. Soon after, he announced his competitive break, which many speculated had something to do with CS2 being poorly optimized. But …
Counter-Strike
Here’s how your CS Rating compares to the ranks in CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Valve has completely changed the rank progression in CS2 by introducing the CS Rating. If you’re still confused about how you stack up, this latest stat-based rank comparison may help. CS Rating is simple, but it’s tough to tell precisely what number is considered decent. For example, you may see questionable plays at 5K Rating games, which can be confusing since it doesn’t seem like a terrible number. This rank …
Counter-Strike
G2 reportedly set to bench jks on CS2 roster
Tokoni Uti
European organization G2 Esports is set to make a major change to the Counter-Strike 2 roster with Australian player Justin “jks” Savage set to be benched, according to a joint report by HLTV and 1ptv. The move comes just days after star player Nikola “NiKo” Kovač was reportedly set to be leaving the roster to join Saudi Team Falcons, which recently signed former Astralis coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen. But this …
NiKo stickers sales explode after G2 Falcons scare
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Stickers are often a solid investment when particular famous players start teasing roster moves, and the pump-fake move to Falcons makes Nikola “NiKo” Kovač the latest example. Investing in Counter-Strike skins is almost as old as the game itself, but stickers have generally been the less explosive market. However, whenever big roster changes start brewing, would-be wolves of the Steam Market get busy. With G2 itself playing on rumors that …
CS2 players gain X-Ray vision with game-breaking flashbang bug
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
A new bug in CS2 makes you invincible to flashbang grenades, and it’s highly game-breaking. Remember the infamous smoke bug from 2016 in CSGO? Something similar is now happening in CS2, as a player highlights flashbang grenades not working as intended. In a video shared, the player can be seen running through an active flashbang without the stun effect. Flashbangs are used to blind enemies, and players heavily rely on …
CS2 players want Valorant-style knife skins after this visual bug
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
CS2 has a new visual bug that has players wishing for animated knives. Counter-Strike 2 is still new, so bugs and issues are a given. However, the player base is still annoyed at Valve for not fixing them right away, but there are a few bugs that they don’t necessarily hate. For example, this latest visual glitch has players wishing for Valorant-style knives in CS2. CS2’s direct competitor, Valorant, has …
Is NiKo leaving G2 for Falcons? The roster havoc explained
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Star G2 Esports rifler Nikola “NiKo” Kovač appeared to leave his team to join Falcons earlier today, leaving impatient fans confused. The CS2 esports community is in a tizzy over Falcons, a rumored superteam that will combine top players from several squads into a single stacked squadron. As one of the greatest riflers of all time, NiKo was an obvious hotspot for rumors, but G2 itself appears to confirm them …
Valve dev talks subtick servers in CS2, defends jump problem
William Davis
Counter-Strike
CS2 fans are still in an uproar about subtick servers, and a personal talk with a Valve dev has fixed some things while worsening others. Like it or not, subtick servers are here to stay. Valve put a lot of effort into creating a happy medium between 64 and 128-tick servers, but various little bugs have emerged in the process. One of the most sinister causes jumps to reach inconsistent …
CS2 finally adds Workshop support for community maps
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Workshop support was probably the most requested feature since the launch of CS2, and Valve has finally delivered. Counter-Strike is all about community. From its origins as a Half-Life mod to its current state as a community-driven esports, the tactical shooter has always relied on its players just as much as its developers. However, CS2 broke that trend with the removal of the Workshop, forcing players to find their own …
Boombl4 returns to CS2 with Cloud9, reunites Na’Vi core
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Cloud9 has a new CS2 captain in Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov, a controversial player whose return is sparking even more discussion. Counter-Strike fans were expecting some shock comebacks with the release of CS2, and while news has been mostly quiet, one fan-favorite has returned to the peak of the game. Former Natus Vincere in-game leader and Stockholm Major champion Boombl4 has officially joined Cloud9, marking a return to the highest tier …
CS2 loses 18% of its players in a historic decline
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 is off to a rocky start as it loses more than 18% of the players in the first month of release. After years of teasing and months in testing, CS2 came out of the beta in September. Community figures harbored doubts about CS2’s readiness for release, but Valve rolled it out anyway. Now, it seems like the pro players were right all along. In the first month of …
CS2 players express frustration over AWP inaccuracy
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
After Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev claims that AWP in CS2 isn’t as impactful, players are highlighting a significant flaw in the sniper rifle, which seems intentional from Valve. Sniper rifle in CSGO has always been controversial, leading to regular nerfs from the developer. At the twilight of CSGO, the AWP was finally in a balanced state, at least according to the community. Now, players have noticed a minor detail in AWP’s …
s1mple announces sudden break from pro CS2
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike veteran Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev has shocked the FPS community by announcing a sudden break from Counter-Strike 2. On Twitter, s1mple said that he needs time away from Counter-Strike to “fix documents and take care of other people in my life.” This has left fans wondering if he’s retiring from pro gaming and about his future with Natus Vincere. In the surprising announcement tweet, s1mple explained that he “never thought …
Team Liquid CS2 team reportedly losing head coach daps
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike 2 team just lost head coach Damian “daps” Steele. Team Liquid has been looking a bit rough going into the Counter-Strike 2 season. Their long-standing team was split up after a lot of underwhelming placements at big events like the ESL Pro League Season 18 Playoffs. Then, they failed to even qualify for IEM Cologne. As a response, Liquid looked to Europe and added Aleks “Rainwaker” Petrov …
s1mple leaves Valve on read regarding break from CS2
William Davis
Counter-Strike
CS2 just isn’t good enough for Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev, and Valve just can’t seem to understand why. The release of CS2 has been rocky, to say the least. Between Michael Jackson peeks running rampant and community control fixes getting squashed mid-tournament, reception among both casuals and pros is mixed at best. Chief among critics is Natus Vincere AWPer s1mple, who went so far as to go on break for the …
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.
