CSGO fans call on Valve for crowdfunded majors like TI9
The Dota 2 community has turned The International 2019 into the biggest esports event in history. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s community wishes it had the chance to do the same.
Valve is the publisher of both Dota 2 and CSGO, but while the pro community of the former title gets to reap the benefits of a $31 million tournament inflated by crowdfunding through a seasonal battle pass, CSGO has never seen an event approach a number close to that mark. Even more frustrating is that it’s unclear why Valve has steered away from implementing something similar in Counter-Strike, a game that has an enduring and passionate community.
CSGO might have the most active and robust competitive scene in all of esports, yet its prize pool offerings are dwarfed by those of Dota 2. Per
Esports Earnings, the combined prize pools of every CSGO tournament in 2018 was $24,896,009. Dota 2’s The International 2018 alone had a prize pool of $25,532,177.
CSGO fans want an event like The International 2019
This fact isn’t lost on CSGO fans, with a number of them calling for Valve to let fans make up the difference.
In a recent post on
Reddit, many fans made clear that they would be more than happy to contribute to a crowdfunded prize pool, even those who aren’t currently active players but still enjoy following the competitive scene. Some added that a seasonal pass built around a major tournament would be a quick and simple solution to this problem and added that other features of Dota 2’s battle pass, like the Battle Cup tournaments, could be an exciting new addition to the game.
Valve already offers a number of limited edition items around CSGO majors, but it certainly feels like they’re leaving money on the table by not adding more. The International does come with some drawbacks when it comes to the overall health of the scene but there’s no denying that CSGO pros, fans, and Valve would all benefit from this.
Read Also
News
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027
Ben Boland
The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...
Esports Betting
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the ...
Counter-Strike
CS2 at the EWC 2026 Preview: Odds, Details, Predictions and More
Owen Harsono
Top-tier Counter-Strike action returns at the Esports World Cup, as 32 of the best teams will take the trip to Paris to compete for millions of dollars. If you’re looking to watch the event, here’s everything you need to know and which teams to keep an eye on. The Esports World Cup is one of the largest CS2 events if we’re looking at prize pools, as $2,000,000 will be distributed ...
News
Opinion: Is Esports Tracing the Same Evolutionary Path As Traditional Sports?
Cecilia Ciocchetti
What happens when an industry compresses centuries of sporting evolution into less than a decade or two? Communities become global audiences overnight, rivalries spread through social media within minutes, and tournaments turn into entertainment products faster than ever before. And so what took traditional sports centuries to build has taken esports a fraction of that. From local communities to sold out arenas, and from informal matches to Olympic-style events, the ...
Counter-Strike
BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-final predictions: who’s making it to the grand final?
Owen Harsono
The top four teams we’re seeing at the BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-finals are far from what anyone would expect before the tournament began, but here we are. We’re only three matches from crowning a winner, so let’s take a look at the best BLAST Bounty semi-final predictions for both upcoming matchups. Starting the semi-finals off is a banger of a series between FaZe Clan and Team Spirit, which is one ...
Counter-Strike
We Ranked The Top 5 Most Hated CS2 Maps
Owen Harsono
If you’re a Counter-Strike player, you probably have that one map you always ban first in every Premier game — and you're not alone as almost everyone has one too. Below, we’ll take a look at the most hated maps in Counter-Strike history and explain why they are disliked by the community at large. Anubis is one of the newer releases in the Counter-Strike 2 map pool, but it has ...
Counter-Strike
The Top 10 Best Clutches in Counter-Strike History Ranked
Owen Harsono
Pulling off an impossible clutch is one of the greatest hits of dopamine any Counter-Strike 2 player can ever feel. However, pulling them off at the highest level can be a little tricky since everyone is so coordinated. That’s exactly why mind-blowing clutches are remembered forever. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the 10 best clutches in Counter-Strike history. We’re opening the list with former mousesports ...
