IEM Cologne bids farewell to CSGO with a moment of silence

Fariha Bhatti Published 07/08/2023

IEM Cologne final was special for many reasons, but fans will forever remember the event for its spine-tingling farewell to CSGO.

The iconic FPS title that ruled Steam charts and the hearts of fans would be replaced by CS2 any day now. While fans were upset that Valve or the organizer didn’t properly bid farewell to CSGO at the major, ESL has done the job. The sun’s setting on CSGO, and what better way to say goodbye than at the cathedral of CSGO, in Cologne’s Lanxess arena. 

Prior to the semi-final face-off between Astralis and G2 Esports at the grand stage of IEM Cologne, the packed arena of Lanxess observed pin-drop silence in honor of CSGO. 

Heartwarming CSGO farewell at IEM Cologne

For the unaware, IEM Cologne is the final CSGO esports event to be played at a major caliber. For its rich history, Cologne has been labeled as the Cathedral of CSGO, so this event held a special place for esports fans. The fact that it would also be the last event made it all the more grand, so naturally, the emotional farewell left the CSGO enthusiasts basking in memories of the greatest esports moments that followed the moment of silence. 

On the grand screen, played the memorable events throughout CSGO history, with maps in a broken state and a blue butterfly. The farewell to CSGO would give you goosebumps and an emotional reminder of CSGO’s impact on many lives and on esports in general. 

However, CSGO isn’t over. Sometime during the summer of 2023, the game would be replaced with an overhauled CS2, with a touch of Source 2 engine. While the exact launch is currently unknown, we may know the CS2 release date from the hints Valve has been dropping here and there. 

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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