Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Everything you need to know about BLAST Premier’s opening day
M Alzamora
After a growing rift between teams, tournament organizers, and even the CSPPA exploded this week, BLAST Premier will finally give fans a chance to see some great games between the world’s top teams, especially the first match between two teams that could decide their direction for 2020. We’ll get there in a second. BLAST Premier is the first real tournament of the season, and it has the pomp and circumstance …
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
Espada wins WINNERS League with amazing comeback against Nemiga
M Alzamora
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 …
Counter-Strike
Swole Patrol, INTZ face off in WINNERS League Season 3 NA finals
M Alzamora
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 …
Counter-Strike
B Site league to fine teams $100,000 for not playing well enough
M Alzamora
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 …
Counter-Strike
GuardiaN dropped from Na’Vi starting roster for young new star
Steven Rondina
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 …
f0rest leaves Ninjas in Pyjamas as Dignitas rumors swirl
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg has left Ninjas in Pyjamas, setting the stage for a reunion with his former teammates on Dignitas. Update: Dignitas has confirmed the addition of f0rest and other ex-NiP players Ninjas in Pyjamas has officially released f0rest this morning, according to a blog post on the team’s official website. f0rest’s release means that all of Dignitas’ rumored players are no longer under contracts with other teams. Dignitas teased adding f0rest …
Gen.G, Complexity, and forZe make DreamHack Open Anaheim
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Gen.G, Complexity Gaming, and forZe took the final three spots at DreamHack Open Anaheim. Gen.G defeated Choas Esports Club and Riot Squad to earn their spot at the event. With Hansel “BnTeT” Ferdinand finally in the server, Gen.G’s long-awaited roster rolled through the closed qualifiers with ease to snag their first tournament spot this year. The squad only lost a single map, thanks in part to a tremendous performance from …
Zyw0o beats s1mple to become the top-ranked player of 2019
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality member Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut is the number one player in HLTV’s rankings for 2019. ZywOo beat out Natus Vincere’s Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev for the number one spot. The 19-year-old French player impressed throughout 2019, growing into a dangerous presence on any server. Since he joined Team Vitality in October of 2018, ZywOo helped Vitality win DreamHack Open Atlanta 2018, Charleroi Esports 2019, cs_summit 4, and ECS Season 7. ZywOo and …
CR4ZY sends roster, ESL One Rio Major spot to c0ntact Gaming
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
The previously rumored transfer of CR4ZY’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster has turned out to be true. The organization released a statement confirming that its successful squad is being sent to c0ntact Gaming. “My first reaction was ‘there’s no way this is happening again.’ However, I also realized the opportunity for the players and decided this would be the best for them. I would never do anything to stop them from …
DreamHack Open Anaheim qualifiers includes Gen.G, Complexity
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
DreamHack has revealed the opening matchups for the 2020 DreamHack Open Anaheim closed qualifiers. With only three total spots up for grabs, 16 teams will go head-to-head for the chance to compete in California. North, MiBR, ENCE, and FURIA Esports received direct invitations to the event. Another team, Endpoint, earned the chance to compete through an ESL-run regional tournament. Team Heroic to win the DreamHack Open Anaheim European qualifiers. Heroic will kick off …
Singularity shorthanded for DreamHack Open Anaheim qualifiers
M Alzamora
Counter-Strike
Team Singularity announced the release of Will “dazzLe” Loafman and Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro. This leaves the team shorthanded ahead of its DreamHack Open Anaheim closed qualifier match against Riot Squad. The team made the announcement on Twitter. An official blog post covered the subject in more detail, attributing the release of the players to “dynamics.” “We have not been able to grind the results we would have liked to accomplish, …
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.
