Counter-Strike
News
NiP kicks Dennis for Plopski, GeT_RiGhT possibly retiring
Steven Rondina
Ninjas in Pyjamas have been on a skid recently and they’re looking to fix it. The organization has announced the deactivation of Dennis “dennis” Edman from its roster. The rifler is replaced by Team Ancient player Nicolas “Plopski” Gonzalez Zamora. The news was broken on the team’s website. “To maintain a position as a top tier team, changes to the roster are needed,” NiP coach Faruk “pita” Pita said. “We …
Counter-Strike
CSGO Anniversary Update nerfs AUG, adds classic version of Dust 2
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike is now 20 years old and Valve is throwing a party for it. The 20th Anniversary update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has dropped. The update brought a few small additions to the game which were overshadowed by a massive nerf that is likely going to delight many fans and players alike. Two new features were added to celebrate Counter-Strike’s anniversary. For a limited time, the casual Dust 2 matchmaking …
Counter-Strike
Snappi leaves OpTic Gaming after Immortals purchase team
Olivia Richman
“As of today I am officially a free agent and no longer contracted to OpTic Gaming.” Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer’s tweet this morning did not come as a shock to the majority of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community. No official information has been released regarding Snappi’s departure. But while the in-game leader helped the team win the last week of ECS Season 7 Europe, Snappi was no longer on the active roster …
Counter-Strike
Top teams stand tall in as Winners League Season 2 playoffs continue
Steven Rondina
Week two of the Winners League Season 2 playoffs has wrapped up. While week one was defined by upset wins, things settled down as the league’s top teams reasserted themselves in week two. Those victories didn’t necessarily come easily, as favorites like ATK, Team Singularity, and Dreameaters were pushed to the brink. But ultimately, the top contenders lived up to their billing. There were lots of impressive showcase performances in …
Counter-Strike
Cloud9 will not play in Berlin Major after flop in qualifiers
Steven Rondina
One of North America’s top Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams will be watching the StarLadder Berlin Major from the couch. Despite entering the minor circuit as one of the favorites to earn a spot in the upcoming event, Cloud9 was among the first eliminations in the North American qualifier to the Americas Minor. As a result, Cloud9 is likely going to be forced to watch the major from the sidelines. Cloud9’s …
Counter-Strike
NRG Esports adds Stanislaw hours before StarLadder Majors qualifiers
Steven Rondina
NRG Esports have made some last-minute changes to their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. Less than 24 hours ahead of the team’s first push towards the StarLadder Berlin Major, the organization announced it is tweaking its lineup. Per a statement on its website, the team has signed CompLexity Gaming player Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz to take over as in-game leader. He replaces longtime NRG player Damian “daps” Steele. “We are extremely excited …
Counter-Strike
Immortals looking to sell OpTic Gaming CS:GO team after buyout
Steven Rondina
The OpTic Gaming Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team is caught in the crossfire of their organization’s business dealings. Following a report from Unikrn that Immortals is planning to divest from OpTic’s CS:GO team, Immortals executive Tomi Kovanen took to Twitter to discuss the squad’s future. He confirmed the news that Immortals is looking to sell the team, and added they are working with the squad on finding them a new organization. “We …
Counter-Strike
Underdogs reign supreme early in Winners League Season 2 playoffs
Steven Rondina
The Winners League Season 2 playoffs have officially begun, and it was a big week for underdogs. Top seeds in both the North American and European divisions took on teams that just squeaked into the playoffs. You wouldn’t have known which was which from the results though, as the lower-ranked teams scored some impressive upsets to advance to the quarterfinals. There was a lot to talk about, but here are …
Esports Insider 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees have been announced
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Esports Insider inducted three new esports influencers to their Hall of Fame. Former OpTic Gaming CEO Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez, Counter-Strike professional and Dignitas’ VP of markting Heather “SapphiRe” Garrozo, and former broadcaster and current director of creative development at Twitch Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham all received the award at the Nixon Peabody in Los Angeles. “We’re over the moon to be recognizing three icons of the esports industry,” Esports Insider co-founder …
Complexity Gaming coach discusses ECS Season 7 cheating accusations
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Despite both teams being eliminated from ECS Season 7, Complexity Gaming and Made in Brazil still have some controversy lingering from their match at the event. Complexity Gaming defeated MIBR in the Group B elimination match, 2-1. But MIBR believes this may not have been the most fair of victories. In fact, Complexity’s head coach Matt “Warden” Dickens has been accused of blatantly cheating on the match’s live stream. In …
Team Liquid has staked its claim as the best CS:GO team in the world
Nina Forneloza
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid have accomplished something that not even major champion Cloud9 had managed previously in North America. With the team’s recent victory at Dreamhack Masters Dallas, Team liquid has installed itself as the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team in the world. In achieving this unquestioned number one spot in the world rankings, they have become the first North American team in the game’s history to do so. Liquid did not …
Team Vitality wins ECS Season 7 Finals, crushes hopes of Furia
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Team Vitality might be among the best teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive today. The French squad picked up the biggest victory in organization history at the Esports Championship Series Season 7 Finals. There, the team locked up a whopping $225,000 check with a convincing 2-0 win over Furia Esports in the grand finals. The first game on Inferno was shaping up to be a competitive one with a back-and-forth first …
GIRLGAMER Sydney announces Benefit Cosmetics as new sponsor
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
GIRLGAMER Esports Festival’s Sydney event has just announced a new non-endemic sponsor, Benefit Cosmetics. Other brand partners sponsoring the event include EB Games, Logitech, and ASTRO Gaming. While this is Benefit Cosmetics’ first venture into esports, fellow LVMH brand Sephora sponsored the GIRLGAMER Esports Festival last year, located in Portugal. According to The Esports Observer, specific brand activations are not yet finalized but they will include Benefit Cosmteics signage and …
UPS lost the DreamHack Masters Dallas trophy won by Team Liquid
Nina Forneloza
Counter-Strike
DreamHack Masters Dallas awarded Team Liquid a strange prize for winning the tournament. After defeating ENCE Esports, the North American squad hoisted small table plaques and were given a set of oversized rings to celebrate their victory. According to a tweet by DreamHack, that’s because the actual trophy for the tournament was lost by delivery company United Parcel Service. “As you may have noticed, the DreamHack Masters Dallas trophy has …
CS:GO fan recreates Dust2 in the Unreal engine with great results
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
What would Counter-Strike: Global Offensive look like with better graphics? YouTuber Quixel answered that question with a tutorial on how to recreate iconic CS:GO map Dust 2 in Unreal Engine 4. Though Global Offensive is graphically solid, the UE4 remake is absolutely stunning. Check out the full video here: The tutorial focuses in on the area surrounding the A bombsite, including a portion of long, catwalk, and the CT spawn. …
FaZe Clan dealing with second lawsuit as Tfue, H1ghsky1 drama unfolds
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
When it rains for FaZe Clan, it pours. According to a report by The Blast, the esports organization has been quietly dealing with a lawsuit from defunct social media platform Hubrick. The two sides have been locked in a legal battle since 2018 for “intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and misappropriation of trade secrets,” with Hubrick seeking over $1 million in damages. Per the report, Hubrick helped build FaZe …
n0thing reveals match fixing offers he received as a pro in CS:GO
Nina Forneloza
Counter-Strike
Retired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert revealed he was approached to fix matches on a number of occasions. Speaking to esports journalist Richard Lewis, n0thing looked back over his career and discussed how CS:GO has changed at the competitive level. Along the way, he reminisced on the iBUYPOWER scandal and his own experiences with match fixers. “I had heard that from a couple of other people, my teammates …
Team Liquid wins DreamHack Masters Dallas, get revenge on ENCE
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Team Liquid were the home team at DreamHack Masters Dallas and they sent the crowd home happy. The North American squad took first place at the event, defeating ENCE Esports in a hardfought grand finals. The victory helps undo some of Liquid’s recent struggles against ENCE and helps rebuild the team’s reputation as a championship squad. Game one on Mirage was a tale of two halves. Initially, it was Liquid …
Denial Esports closing after CEO blasts his own players
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Embattled organization Denial Esports is dead. Again. After reports began circulating that Denial was set to close its doors, the news was confirmed by former Denial CEO Zachary Smith. He didn’t stop there, though. Smith delivered a lengthy rant on Twitter, blasting a number of Denial’s players and taking shots at other individuals in the industry. “We started off trying to do something great with a tainted name and a …
Famous CS:GO YouTuber Zuhn gets permanent ban, denies all wrongdoing
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has a big problem with players cheating, but at least one infamous alleged hacker might just have gotten his comeuppance. YouTuber Zuhn has received a permanent ban from CS:GO. The bans are visible on two of Zuhn’s Steam accounts and were delivered simultaneously. The player has built a sizable social media following, including over 300,000 subscribers and tens of millions of views on YouTube with his highlight …
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.
