Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
SmithZz announces retirement as CSGO’s old guard fades away
M Alzamora
Edouard “SmithZz” Dubourdeaux announced his retirement from professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive today in a post on his official Twitter account, but his withdrawal feels more authentic than others. In a Twitlonger titled “New beginnings,” the French player revealed that he has stepped back from competitive play and will take on a career in streaming as his next challenge. SmithZz’s career features an expansive list of teams and tournament wins, including a …
Counter-Strike
The best smokes and flashes after new Dust 2 skybox changes
M Alzamora
In a surprise update, Valve opened up Dust 2’s B site to new executes by letting players throw utility into the bombsite from upper tunnels. After years of community requests, the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive developer has finally made it possible for the T side to execute onto B just like they would most any other site in the game. While Valve has made a Dust 2 B site execute possible, …
Counter-Strike
mousesports honors Kobe Bryant with custom jerseys at ICE event
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
As mousesports climbs the ladder of the 2020 ICE Challenge, the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team took a moment to commemorate Kobe Bryant, a recently deceased NBA player. Mousesports’ CSGO team advanced to the 2020 ICE Challenge semifinals after defeating Virtus.Pro 2-0 earlier today. Ahead of the game, mousesports took a 2-0 victory against MAD Lions for the spot in the Group A winners’ match, and now the team is waiting …
Counter-Strike
OG’s Aleksib gets revenge on former team ENCE for 2019 release
M Alzamora
Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen was out of control during OG’s 2-0 win over his former team ENCE in the ongoing GG.BET ICE Challenge. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s first full weekend of professional matches in 2020, it wasn’t Team Liquid versus FaZe Clan at BLAST Premier that stole the show. Instead, OG’s contest against ENCE just down the road in London gave fans something to smile about as Aleksib owned his former team …
Counter-Strike
Shattered Web’s Week 11 challenges require a lot of patience
M Alzamora
Week 11 of Shattered Web’s missions are live, and they’re not blowing people away. With only five weeks left, Shattered Web’s missions are getting closer to chores than they are a fun challenge for the fans of the game. “A Dry Heat” brings more of the same as players grind away for the elusive golden Shattered Web coin, the only reason for players to complete more missions than they absolutely …
Counter-Strike
Dust 2 B skybox opened, other huge map changes in CSGO update
M Alzamora
Tactics just got a whole lot more important on Dust 2. With changes to the skybox between B site and upper tunnels, there are now more executes on B than just the mid-split on the famously popular map. Mirage and Train also saw huge changes that could alter their balance significantly. Today’s CSGO patch brought a groundbreaking change for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s most famous map. Developers have opened the skybox …
Counter-Strike
Listing which new leagues are getting the top CSGO teams
M Alzamora
When ESL relegated half of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams from Pro League last week, teams that were ready to compete in the ESL Pro League are now faced with a tough decision. When ESL announced the 24 invited teams for Pro League, they failed to notify those teams that weren’t included ahead of time. Those teams that ESL moved down to the Mountain Dew League have two options. The first …
Counter-Strike
Shroud and summit1g react to Shroud aimbot hacking accusation
Olivia Richman
Streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek is sometimes referred to as the”human aimbot” after his time as a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro. But lately, rumors have been floating around that shroud used an actual aimbot hack while playing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Able to dominate in almost every game he plays, including PUBG, Apex Legends, and Fortnite, it’s no surprise that viewers have started to question if shroud uses aimbots or other hacks to …
Battle between ESL and B Site for CSGO’s top teams goes public
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
The CSGO community contended with a massive blowout this weekend when ESL revealed invites for Season 11 of ESL Pro League, confirming rumors that it had relegated 24 teams from the popular circuit to Mountain Dew League. ESL did not inform the transferred teams of the change beforehand, sparking mass outrage and kicking off CSGO’s whirlwind weekend. On January 25, Twitter became a heated battlefield among the who’s who of …
Report says B Site signs six franchise teams for March start
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
An ESPN report says that six teams have signed contracts to compete in the “B Site” league, according to unnamed sources. Set to begin in March of 2020 and conflict with the ESL Pro League, the new team-owned league operating under the codename “B Site” welcomed six teams to the league’s franchise slots and a partial ownership stake in the league, according to the report. Those teams reportedly include the …
Espada wins WINNERS League with amazing comeback against Nemiga
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Espada surprised an entire region on Friday by defeating Nemiga Gaming to become the WINNERS League Season 3 European champions. Neither fans saw this one coming. Espada beat Nemiga 2-0 with a 16-13 win on Nemiga’s map pick, Nuke, while managing to take their own pick as well in a miraculous comeback on Overpass. Given how DreamHack Open Leipzig’s opening matches were a snoozefest, WINNERS League Season 3 likely offered fans the best …
Swole Patrol, INTZ face off in WINNERS League Season 3 NA finals
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
The final matchup of the WINNERS League Season 3 North America division is now set. INTZ Esports and Swole Patrol will go head-to-head for the Season 3 title. Both teams finished the regular season with 6-1 records, but INTZ has been the standout performer during the playoff stage. The Brazillian team hasn’t dropped a map throughout the playoffs, defeating Team Divine, Triumph, and Riot Squad 2-0 in the stage’s best-of-three …
B Site league to fine teams $100,000 for not playing well enough
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
More information regarding Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s B Site was revealed today by Cloud9’s President Dan Fiden ahead of its March debut. In a two-hour interview today with esports insider Richard Lewis, Cloud9 President Dan Fiden and B Site Creative Director Duncan “Thorin” Shields revealed new information regarding the B Site tournament circuit. Most notably, B Site will fine participating teams $100,000 per month they place outside of the world’s top …
GuardiaN dropped from Na’Vi starting roster for young new star
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Big changes are reportedly about to hit Natus Vincere’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lineup once again. According to a report by 1pv, Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovác is set to be removed from the Natus Vincere lineup. Taking his spot is Syman Gaming’s Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy. Should the news prove true, Na’Vi’s roster will consist of the following players: Egor “flamie” Vasilyev Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev Denis “electronic” Sharipov Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov Ilya “Perfecto” …
Nemiga faces Espada in WINNERS League Season 3 Europe Finals
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Espada took down KOVA 2-1 and Nemiga defeated SKADE 2-0. With those wins, these two teams are set to face off in the WINNERS League Season 3 Europe Division grand finals. Both teams are strong contenders for the WINNERS League trophy, but Espada has an uphill battle against a Nemiga team that has been unstoppable throughout the regular season and playoffs. That said, Espada has pulled out some wins from …
Some of CSGO’s biggest names and casters join new B Site league
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
B Site officially unveiled its first season’s talent pool last night while revealing that the league will start in March 2020. There was even more information available to fans if they knew where to look. B Site is scheduled to start sometime in March 2020, according to the tweet. The timeframe lines up with initial reports stating that the league would overlap with Season 11 of ESL’s Pro League. The …
Xyp9x, EliGE to lead CSPPA as CSGO tournament wars begin
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
The Counter-Strike: Professional Players Association announced that its player board has elected Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth and Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski to Chairman and Vice-Chairman positions. In an official press release, the CSPPA announced that the Astralis and Team Liquid stars now hold the top positions available at the association. The CSPPA Chairman and Vice-Chairman positions are elected by a board of active Counter-Strike players. The board is currently made up of …
Fifflaren joins Dignitas as coach, completing NiP reunion
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Alongside the news that Dignitas had signed Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, Adam “friberg” Friberg, and Richard “Xizt” Landström to its roster, Robin “fifflaren” Johansson has now joined the team as its coach. Fifflaren announced the news on his Twitter account today, bringing together all five of the original members of the Ninjas in Pyjamas under one banner. The former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player competed with NiP from August 2012 to November 2014, He …
Shattered Web’s Week 10 challenges are the most difficult yet
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Valve has released the Week 10 challenges for CSGO’s ninth operation, and they’re a doozy. Week 10 will have players making the rounds between almost every playable mode in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. While there aren’t any Danger Zone challenges this week, players are going to have to get crafty to complete some of these objectives. Practice Makes Perfect: “Get 15 default pistol kills in Deathmatch: Defusal Group Sigma.” Solid Fundamentals: …
f0rest rejoins GeT_RiGhT and former NiP teammates with Dignitas
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Dignitas has announced the signings of four members of the legendary Ninjas in Pyjamas roster through a post on their official Twitter account. Dignitas revealed that the organization has signed Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, Adam “friberg” Friberg, and Richard “Xizt” Landström to the team’s new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. This returns Dignitas to CSGO for the first time since dissolving its CSGO division in August 2018. The signing confirms the rumors earlier this …
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.
