Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Is NiKo leaving G2 for Falcons? The roster havoc explained
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
Valve dev talks subtick servers in CS2, defends jump problem
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
CS2 finally adds Workshop support for community maps
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
Boombl4 returns to CS2 with Cloud9, reunites Na’Vi core
William Davis
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 …
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid CS2 team reportedly losing head coach daps
Olivia Richman
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 …
Counter-Strike
s1mple leaves Valve on read regarding break from CS2
William Davis
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
Valve kills alias fixes in CS2, community responds
William Davis
CS2 players were outsmarting Valve by using special alias commands to get around subtick inconsistencies, but now the developer is cracking down even harder. Subtick servers were one of the most exciting features announced with the reveal of CS2, but now that everyone has a chance to play on them, the reception is very mixed. Pros began developing their own techniques to get around subtick inconsistencies, but Valve has decided …
Counter-Strike
CS2 patch notes reveal new bomb music, bug fixes
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike 2 has a new update that’s meant to make gameplay feel a bit better. This includes new bomb music in the form of a 10-second countdown that warns of a C4 going off. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest CS2 update. Sometimes all it takes is a little tweak to make the gameplay noticeably better. In this case, developers decided to add new audio when the …
How to get free CS2 skins from weekly drops
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Weekly drops are back in CS2 but they work quite differently than your remember. While it’s shockingly easy to spend thousands of dollars on the supposedly free game, one of CSGO’s nicer points was that it occasionally paid you to play it. Regular free drops could lead to some nice paydays for lucky players, and high case prices meant a regular small return for non-gamblers. However, Valve completely changed up …
s1mple is taking a break from CS2, here’s why
William Davis
Counter-Strike
CSGO’s esports legacy is synonymous with superstar AWPer Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev, but CS2 will have to start off without him. Whether he’s clutching out impossible rounds or keeping an iron grip on mid, s1mple is the most respected player in modern Counter-Strike. With the scene’s transition to CS2, s1mple was expected to truck along with everyone else into the Source 2 engine, but it turns out that his complaints are …
CS2 skin trader banned with over $100,000 worth of skins
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Renowned CS2 skin trader “Neon” has received a surprise ban from Valve on his Steam account, which holds $105450 worth of skins. Valve has been mercilessly banning cheaters in CS2, which is refreshing for old-timers begging the developer to wipe out the malicious players. However, not all bans have been fair, at least according to credible traders in CS2. This time, a renowned skin trader, Neon, has been VAC banned …
What is Michael Jackson peek in CS2? How to do it
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
All CS2 players are raving about the latest movement trick, “Michael Jackson peek.” But what does it even mean? When it comes to movement tactics, CS2 players are a cut above the rest. From the very first iteration of the game, players have been discovering new ways to take the enemy by surprise. From the infamous Xantares to Ferrari peek, players have come up with all sorts of tactics to …
Will CS2 become available on Mac? Valve speaks out
William Davis
Counter-Strike
CSGO was a popular pick for Mac gamers as one of the few esports titles available on the platform, but will that still be the case for CS2? One of the strangest parts of Global Offensive was Valve’s push to get it on as many platforms as possible. While the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are just historical curiosities, the developer also pushed for CSGO to be on Mac. It …
How to fix Server Reserved for a Game Lobby error in CS2
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Most players are enjoying the Source 2 update, but a new Server Reserved for a Game Lobby error is causing panic in CS2. Valve’s release of CS2 was rushed, and while the core gameplay is pretty solid overall, there are definitely some technical issues that need addressing. One of the most common is the Server Reserved for a Game Lobby error, which is plaguing players across all servers. It’s vague …
You can still play CSGO after CS2 launch, here’s how
William Davis
Counter-Strike
CS2 is here, but if you’re missing the old CSGO already, here’s how you can still play it. The Source 2 engine is amazing, but for all of the shiny new toys available in Counter-Strike 2, there’s still a lot missing from the game. From alternate game modes to community-made maps, Valve still hasn’t ported many beloved features from the old game to the new one. However, there’s still a …
Counter-Strike 2 is Valve’s worst-rated game on Steam
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Just weeks into the arrival of Counter-Strike 2, the highly anticipated shooter has become the worst game by Valve, the poor Steam rating shows. It looks like all of the complaints regarding CS2 have added up. While Counter-Strike was meant to be an upgraded version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with better graphics, updated maps, and more seamless gameplay, there’s been nonstop criticism from casual gamers and streamers alike. Right now, …
CS2 players express frustration over rampant peeker’s advantage
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 is a new game, so bugs are a given. However, players are getting increasingly frustrated with the significant peeker’s advantage, leading to unfair deaths. Players have long been complaining about high peeker’s advantage in CS2, which heavily favors those with low ping. After the September 14 release notes, this update became even more noticeable for those who had low latency, leading to an increased peeker’s advantage. While peeker’s …
Female CS2 players want Kick vote gone from the game
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Female CS2 players are willing to mute sexist teammates, but the game’s Kick feature is indirectly enabling toxicity. Many modern FPS titles have removed the option to Kick one player from the team. Considering it’s such an easy feature to abuse and exploit, it’s not surprising that some developers have completely skipped it over, for example, Valorant. Counter-Strike 2, however, still has the controversial feature available in-game. Kick a teammate …
You can twerk in Counter-Strike 2, here’s how
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike has always been considered a very serious and technical shooter but throughout the past decade, players have continued to find strange ways to be silly in-game. The latest is twerking in Counter-Strike 2. The new victory celebration in Counter-Strike 2 is twerking. It appears to be the predecessor of tea-bagging. Here’s how to twerk in Counter-Strike 2. If you find that you want to shake your booty after a …
How to bind jump to mousewheel in CS2
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Learning how to bind mousewheel to jump is a rite of passage in Counter-Strike, and CS2 gives you the chance to learn it all over again. In Counter-Strike, movement is everything. And in movement, controls are everything. Switching over to a new engine also means recalibrating your keyboard to most closely resemble what you had in Global Offensive. Luckily for players, it’s easier than ever to bind your controls to …
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.
