win.gg
Win.gg Counter-Strike shroud is worried about CSGO as more players switch to Valorant

shroud is worried about CSGO as more players switch to Valorant

Fariha Bhatti
Fariha Bhatti Published 22/03/2021

Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Michael “shroud” Grzesiek has once again weighed in on the CSGO versus Valorant debate, and this time he seems concerned about his former “main game”. 

When Riot’s tactical shooter was released in 2020, players were quick to compare it to CSGO, one of the most venerated tactical shooters ever made. FPS fans have pitted Valorant against CSGO, but both games have succeeded with their own player bases. shroud was one of the first famous names to claim that Valorant will overtake Valve’s shooter in popularity. The former competitive player still holds that same stance today, but Valorant’s growth has him eve more worried about the game he spent so many years playing. 

In a recent stream, shroud acknowledged the impact of Valorant’s rapid success. The Twitch streamer thinks that Valorant’s growth puts CSGO’s future in jeopardy. 

“I worry for CS, if they don’t do something new and nice. I won’t be surprised if [Valve] lets it die, but I doubt it. CSGO is their baby,” shroud said.

The conversation started when shroud came across Keith “NAF” Markovic’s Valorant teaser that various other CSGO pros have been using to troll fans. The rifler posted a Reyna GIF on Twitter, similar to what Kenny “kennyS” Schrub and Tarik “tarik” Celik had earlier teased on their own handles. The tweet caught shroud’s attention, who said they may be trolling right now, but the Valorant switch is imminent for many CSGO pro players. 

shroud isn’t entirely in the wrong. kennyS and NBK have stated that a Valorant switch isn’t yet in the cards as of now, but they didn’t rule out the possibility for the future. NBK even mentioned that he might consider Riot’s shooter later down the line. While these players aren’t instantly jumping on the Valorant bandwagon, it’s likely that another CSGO player exodus will soon follow if Valve continues to neglect the title compared to Riot’s constant updates to Valorant.

Is CSGO dying in 2021? 

In 2020, CSGO hit the 1 million mark, proving that new FPS games have failed to sway its dedicated player base. In 2021, the game continues to show new players logging into their steam accounts to enjoy a classic tactical experience, with another increase of players registered in February showing a successful future ahead of CSGO. Contrary to the rumours, Valve’s shooter is doing just fine.

Fariha Bhatti 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.

View full profile
Read Also
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Counter-Strike
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Counter-Strike
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Counter-Strike
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Counter-Strike
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...
All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Esports Betting
All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Owen Harsono IEM Cologne is one of Counter-Strike’s biggest events, happening every single year. Some seasons, the event is labeled as one of Valve’s two Counter-Strike Majors of the year, but if not, still stands as one of the big events every player chases to win. With the IEM Cologne 2026 Major right around the corner, let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out every single winner of the tournament, ...