Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Draken dropped from Ninjas in Pyjamas as Dennis returns
Steven Rondina
Dennis “dennis” Edman has returned from his hiatus from competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Ninjas in Pyjamas announced the Swede’s return to its active roster on Twitter. It also confirmed the release of stand-in player William “draken” Sundin, who joined the team as a substitute to fill in for Dennis during his absence. Dennis has been a key member of Ninjas in Pyjamas during the team’s recent upswing. An 11-year veteran …
Counter-Strike
Former EnVyUs players form core of new Team LDLC CS:GO roster
Steven Rondina
Team LDLC is back in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive business. Just a week removed from the release of its roster, the enduring French organization has brought in a new squad of players. LDLC revealed in a series of tweets that its new lineup consists of Engin “MAJ3R” Kupeli, Christophe “SIXER” Xia, Alexandre “xms” Forté, and Vincent “Happy” Cervoni Schopenhauer. Filling in the final spot on a trial basis is Rodolphe …
News
Natus Vincere win StarSeries season 7 with sweep of Fnatic
Steven Rondina
Natus Vincere are the champions of StarSeries & i-League Season 7. The Ukrainian team smashed its way into the grand finals and faced off with Fnatic. There, Natus Vincere scored an emphatic but hardfought 3-0 victory to seal up the first-place prize of $250,000. The first map was essentially the Denis “electronic” Sharipov show. He carried Na’Vi to a 5-1 lead to start the game with a some solid gunslinging …
Counter-Strike
Fnatic set to face Natus Vincere in StarSeries Season 7 final
Steven Rondina
Just two teams remain at StarSeries & i-League Season 7. In the grand finals of the Shanghai event, tournament favorite Natus Vincere will take on a surging Fnatic in a best-of-five series. The winner will receive the $250,000 top prize. Natus Vincere’s presence in the grand finals comes as a surprise to few. The Ukrainian squad was held up as one of the world’s best throughout 2018, routinely placing top-four in …
Counter-Strike
Latest CS:GO update brings big changes to Vertigo, Abbey
Steven Rondina
When people claimed that the latest addition to the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map pool wasn’t fit for high-level play, they were right. That’s what Valve seems to think, as Vertigo received another set of tweaks in the latest update to the game. This is the fourth set of adjustments to the map since March 19. For the most part, the tweaks to the skyscraper-themed map were minor fixes including remedying …
Counter-Strike
The meaning behind EZ4ENCE, a CSGO meme song gone viral
Olivia Richman
It’s hard to forget the moment Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team ENCE proudly stepped onto the IEM Katowice stage for the finals with “EZ4ENCE” blaring behind them. The song by The Verkkars even made it onto Finland’s Top 50 music chart in March. The title of the song is actually inspired by a popular CS:GO meme. EZ4ENCE is what fans like to say on Twitch during matches, basically meaning that it’s …
Counter-Strike
LDLC leaves Counter-Strike, releases remaining players from team
Steven Rondina
French esports staple Team LDLC might be done with Counter-Strike after nearly a decade of involvement with the venerable franchise. The organization announced on Twitter that it has dissolved its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. The news comes following a pair of high-profile departures from the team. “We are now announcing that we are ending the collaboration with the current CS:GO team,” LDLC said in the statement. “Following this decision, we …
Apex Legends
Shroud to play in Apex Twitch Rivals tournament despite arm injury
Olivia Richman
Despite wearing a cast and sling, former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro and popular streamer Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek will be playing in the latest Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Challenge. Shroud recently announced a second surgery for a broken elbow he sustained in a scooter accident in March. This surgery involves inserting a plate into his elbow. The popular streamer confirmed his participation last night during his first livestream since his March …
MiBR wash out of StarSeries Season 7 groups with TyLoo, Vici Gaming
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
There is just something about China that brings out the worst in MiBR. Brazil’s top team posted another disappointing performance at StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 7. Despite being one of the strongest bets to win the event, the squad washed out of the group stage with a 1-3 record after suffering a defeat at the hands of North. Things were initially trending in a good direction for MiBR. Playing …
Cloud9 adds CajunB to complete CS:GO roster ahead of BLAST Miami
Steven Rondina
News
Cloud9 has completed its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster with a surprising final addition to the team. The organization announced on its website that it has added former OpTic Gaming player René “cajunb” Borg to its lineup. This rounds out the team’s new roster following massive turnover in the weeks since the 2019 Katowice Major. “I’m excited for a veteran like cajunb to begin playing with Cloud9,” Cloud9 team manager Jonathan …
Two teams out at StarSeries Season 7, two more advance to playoffs
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
The first three rounds of the StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 7 group stage has been completed, and with that comes the first set of eliminations. South America’s PaiN Gaming and China’s Panda Gaming have been knocked out of the tournament with 0-3 records in the group stage. They share a 15th-place finish and will walk away with $4,000 prizes. The pace for PaiN’s run in the event was set …
Shroud gets second surgery, still recovering from scooter injury
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive streamer Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek recently announced a second surgery on his left elbow after a scooter accident on March 11. Shroud’s latest surgery involved inserting a plate into his elbow, which will have him in a cast and sling for the next few months during recovery. “Well, surgery is done and my arm hurts like hell. I won’t be streaming for a while, that’s for sure. Sorry …
Cloud9 releases veteran KioShiMa in yet another roster shakeup
Steven Rondina
News
Star Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey once again finds himself without a team. Cloud9 announced on its website that it is releasing the French player from his contract, sending him into free agency. The move comes a few weeks after the departures of Robin “flusha” Rönnquist and Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro. “We’re so grateful to have had kioShiMa with the team during this time. The skills and qualities he …
New NRG era highlighted by 16-0 win over North at StarSeries Season 7
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
The competitive debut of the new NRG Esports Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster went exceptionally well. The North American team competed in its first tournament since a flop at the 2019 Katowice Major by attending StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 7. Kicking off its time in Shanghai with a series against North, the new NRG looked rock solid against a formidable opponent. NRG initially looked ready to to crush North as it …
Vici Gaming upsets Na`Vi even as s1mple dominates the field
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Natus Vincere’s run at StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 7 is off to a bad start. Despite entering the event as the favorites to win, the Ukrainian squad opened in Shanghai with an upset loss at the hands of Vici Gaming. Not only was the loss an upset, but Na’Vi was stomped twice during the three-game series. Right from the start on Inferno, things seemed off for Na’Vi. Despite winning a …
Veterans Ex6TenZ and ScreaM find new home in Team GamerLegion
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Esports organization Team GamerLegion has entered the world of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The brand announced the signing of the European team Uruguay3 on its website. The squad is headlined by veteran talents Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom and Kevin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans, alongside former OpTic Gaming player Kevin “HS” Tarn, former GODSENT captain Hampus “hampus” Poser, and coach Christian “Chrille” Lindberg. The team previously competed with William “draken” Sundin, who recently split from …
NRG Esports at full strength for StarSeries after visa resolution
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
NRG Esports’ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team will be able to compete at full strength at StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 7. After two days of worrying, NRG confirmed that AWPer Cvetelin “CeRq” Dimitrov will be able to compete in Shanghai. Visa troubles threatened to scuttle the new NRG’s first big event together, but the team revealed that the Bulgarian was able to make the trek to China. This is great …
As CajunB’s contract with OpTic Gaming ends, team adds Niko and MSL
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
OpTic Gaming has begun a heavy restructuring of its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. The organization announced the departure of René “cajunb” Borg after 13 months with the side. “Today we wish CajunB well as he makes his departure from our CSGO roster,” OpTic said on Twitter. “We look forward to seeing his continued success in Counter-Strike.” Shortly thereafter, OpTic announced the signing of former Rogue players Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen and …
Cache removed from tournament map pool, EZ4ENCE music kit arrives
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
A small but surprisingly meaty patch has dropped in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and it’s one that will be instantly felt at the pro level. In a surprise move, fresh map Vertigo has been added to the Active Duty group. This puts it back in the tournament rotation, with longtime favorite Cache being bumped out as a result. The update also includes a number of minor bug fixes and other additions. …
Astralis convinces Danish armed forces that they need more gamers
Olivia Richman
News
The Danish armed forces is looking for gamers. The Danish Defense, or Forsvaret, feels that gamers could make great pilots, flight commAanders, and radar operators. “Gamers have certain skills in remaining calm under pressure, faster reactions than other young people, quick decision making, good teamwork skills, orientation, and strong ability to visualize,” Major Anders Bech, head of section with the Danish Ministry of Defense’s Personnel Agency, said. The assessment that …
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.
