Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Berlin Major Challengers Stage concludes, eight teams advance
Steven Rondina
The StarLadder Berlin Major Challengers Stage is now complete. Eight teams have been eliminated from the event while eight others moved forward to compete in the Legends Stage. When it came to which teams were eliminated and which moved forward, things went generally according to plan. The Challengers Stage featured a number of top-notch Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squads that ran over the competition, alongside some wounded rosters that limped into …
Counter-Strike
Vitality head to Berlin Major Legends Stage, eliminate Grayhound
Steven Rondina
Team Vitality is heading to the Legends Stage of the StarLadder Berlin Major, but they aren’t looking like the force most were expecting. The squad managed to secure a 3-2 record in the Challengers Stage, last defeating Grayhound Gaming. That allows them to move forward to the second phase of the tournament, however their lifespan might still be short if things don’t improve with the team. While the inconsistency of …
News
Fnatic plans for younger CSGO roster with new in-game leader
William Davis
Fnatic organized an AMA on Reddit to shed some light into the current situation with its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. Fnatic has announced the benching of Richard “Xizt” Landström and Simon “twist” Eliasson. The decision comes after a series of negative results that ultimately led to the team missing the 2019 StarLadder Berlin Major. Andreas Samuelsson, team director at Fnatic, and star player Jesper “JW” Wecksell took part in the AMA. According to Samuelsson, …
Counter-Strike
Complexity CEO Jason Lake aims to build a new CSGO superteam
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Complexity Gaming’s CEO Jason Lake turned to Twitter to announce an overhaul of the organization’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team after a disappointing run at the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019. Complexity’s CSGO team didn’t perform at the major. Even though not widely considered to be a top-tier team, it was expected of them internally to at least reach the New Legends stage, and they weren’t even close to doing so. They …
Counter-Strike
Vitality face elimination at Berlin Major with DreamEaters upset
Steven Rondina
Despite being regarded as a potential candidate to win the StarLadder Berlin Major, Team Vitality now finds itself on the brink of being eliminated from the Challengers Stage. In one of the opening series of day two, the heavily favored French squad once again found themselves struggling against an unheralded Russian squad. They were narrowly edged out by DreamEaters in a game on Inferno. The game started in awkward fashion …
Counter-Strike
G2 Esports starts strong at StarLadder Berlin Major, goes 2-0
Steven Rondina
G2 Esports is off to a strong start at the StarLadder Berlin Major. The enduring French squad ended day one of the Challengers Stage with a 2-0 record. The team scored impressive victories over TYLOO and DreamEaters. G2 started its day with a big showing versus TYLOO. The Chinese squad played a solid all-around game but were consistently flustered by heroics from the individual members of G2. After ceding a …
Counter-Strike
North out to 2-0 Berlin Major start after big opening day wins
William Davis
We’re only one day into the Starladder Berlin Major 2019, and North have already made a serious statement to the rest of the field. The Danish North squad managed a slight upset of INTZ on Train by a dominant score of 16-5, then squeaked by Syman 16-14 in another game on Train. The moral of the story may be to ban train against North, though it’s still very early into …
Counter-Strike
Six arrested in major CSGO match-fixing case in Australia
Olivia Richman
The first major match-fixing case in Australian esports history has resulted in the arrests of six people. A betting agency had tipped off officers about suspicious activity at a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament in March. By the time police got involved, five matches had been impacted by players who were “arranging to throw matches” in order to benefit from bets they had placed on those matches. The six men arrested …
Vitality and NRG suffer shock losses to start Berlin Major
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
The Pick’Em predictions for a substantial chunk of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s fan base were shattered within an hour of the start of the tournament. The StarLadder Berlin Major Challengers Stage kicked off with a pair of massive upsets. CIS Minor Championship runners-up Syman Gaming and DreamEaters scored victories over Team Vitality and NRG Esports, respectively. The outcome sees two of the favorites to go 3-0 now playing from behind. Vitality …
ENCE make shock move to bench Aleksib, bring on suNny
Nina Forneloza
Counter-Strike
Finnish Counter-Strike:Global Offensive team ENCE has signed former mousesports rifle player Miikka “suNny” Kemppi to the team. SuNny stepped down from mousesports in March and will replace Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen after the Berlin Starladder Major. This will be suNny’s second time representing ENCE, as in 2013 he was also a member of the team. In 2018 suNny would be named 16th best player in the world having won a trophy …
StarLadder announces full broadcast talent for Berlin Major
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
The StarLadder & i-League Berlin Major begins tonight, and viewers will be able to follow it easier than ever before thanks to the newly announced broadcast team. StarLadder revealed the on-air team earlier in August, which includes two hosts and eight casters. Tres “stunna” Saranthus and Alex “Machine” Richardson will be the aforementioned hosts. Machine will also act as one of the casters. Interviews will be conducted by James “BanKs” …
n0thing teases return of shroud and the classic Cloud9 lineup
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Counter-Strike
Veteran player Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert has teased the comeback of Cloud9’s legendary 2015 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster during a recent stream. After one of his viewers said in the chat they would like to see the old Cloud9 roster come back, n0thing shared that the players have already established a WhatsApp group together and are looking to compete again soon, likely at one of the upcoming online tournaments. Besides n0thing, …
Fnatic bench Xizt and twist after falling short of Berlin Major
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
After a disappointing showing over the past few months, Fnatic has announced that Richard “Xizt” Landstrom and Simon “twist” Eliasson will be moved to the bench effective immediately. Before this year, Fnatic was the only orgnaization to have reached all 14 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Majors, but the team was unable to continue on that record with the Berlin Minor. “For the first instance in Fnatic’s history, our efforts were not …
WESA conducting investigation into allegations aimed at NiP
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
The World Esports Association is conducting an independent investigation into Ninjas in Pyjamas after players and staff members released statements against the organization. Sports lawyer Ian Smith, a commissioner of the Esports Integrity Coalition, will be conducting the investigation and by the end of the month he will release a statement that discusses his findings. On July 24, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Robin “Fifflaren” Johansson opened up about his …
Luminosity bench HEN1 after trading twin brother LUCAS1
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Luminosity has benched Henrique “HEN1” Teles. The Brazilian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro is now available to other teams as a free agent. “We want to thank HEN1 for all his efforts while on the team. He has been nothing but professional and passionate,” Luminosity tweeted. The team also urged teams to contact them if they’re interested in a buyout or trade for the benched player. “Everyone who follows me knows …
CSGO legend pashaBiceps joins AGO on trial in comeback bid
Nina Forneloza
Counter-Strike
Veteran Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski has joined up with Polish team AGO on a trial basis. The organization announced on Twitter that they are observing a few players to fill three available slots with the team. Alongside pashaBiceps will be Patryk “Sidney” Korab and Adrian “SAYN” Łączyński. The pair are also trying out for AGO. They’ll be aiming to join Damian “Furlan” Kisłowski, Dominik “GruBy” Świderski, and …
Team Liquid’s CSGO team recreates Full House theme before major
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Everywhere you look, everywhere you go, there’s a frag, a monster kill to view, too. Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team have taken inspiration from Full House, creating a sitcom-inspired short video to the theme of the popular 90s program. Filmed by 1Up Studios, the short clip features their CS:GO squad all striking a pose a la Danny Tanner. Coach Eric “adreN” Hoag pours himself some alcohol, Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella and …
coldzera explains MiBR exit, talks smack about former teammates
William Davis
News
Star Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Marcelo “coldzera” David is letting it all hang out. In a recent interview, coldzera got honest about his issues with former teammates, the problems with MIBR, and his relationship with his family. coldzera got particularly candid about his family. The player said that he started playing Counter-Strike because his brother encouraged him. He eventually got better and started considering the possibility of playing as a …
NRG investor Alex Rodriguez rips esports after investing in it
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Despite investing in NRG Esports, former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez had some negative things to say about the esports industry. While commentating a Sunday Night Baseball match on August 18, the ex-Yankees player made some seemingly anti-gaming statements in front of the crowd of Little League World Series competitors. “This is the first generation of kids that will not outlive their parents – and to think that there …
StarLadder Berlin Major New Challengers matches revealed
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Counter-Strike
With just a few days left until the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, one of the biggest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments ever held, Valve has announced the matchups for the first stage, the New Challengers, as well as the full tournament schedule. The StarLadder Major will be starting on August 23 as the second CSGO major of the year. The tournament is beginning with the New Challengers stage, for which 16 …
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.
