ESL responds to rumors around Counter-Strike 2

Strong rumors continue that the arrival of the new installment of Valve’s shooter, Counter-Strike 2, is already a fact. In the last few hours, all these rumors have increased, and as we mentioned previously, according to journalist Richard Lewis, we will have the beta of the new game no later than the end of March.

This new game that many have labeled as Counter-Strike 2 with a new game engine, Source 2, will change what we know now as CS:GO. So now, many fans are asking questions regarding the future of CS:GO esports.

However, one of the leading CS:GO tournament organizers, ESL, has stated that it does not plan to change the new game immediately.

ESL clarifies that it will not make changes to Counter-Strike 2 for now

After many rumors on social networks surrounding the release of Valve’s new shooter, fans began to wonder what would happen to the competitive CS:GO scene when the supposed Counter-Strike 2 arrived.

Because of this, ESL has announced that upcoming tournaments will continue to be held in CS:GO until it is completely reasonable to make the switch. Currently, the ESL Pro League S17 in Malta in LAN format is in development, and in April, we will have the IEM Rio 2023 actions.

Right now, it is completely unknown what will happen the moment the Counter-Strike 2 beta is launched. Players and teams will need to start making this transition as soon as possible, as it will be a new game, and professionals will want to adapt as quickly as possible. However, it has been reported on different occasions that many top professional players have already tried Valve’s new game. For example, the current best player in the world, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev, said:

“Actually “new” cs more fun than valorant, have few extra keys left”.

This makes us think that s1mple has already tested what the new game is like in its beta phase.

Organizations don’t tend to leap immediately

Recall that, back in 2012, not all organizations and players moved away from Counter-Strike: Source and CS 1.6 when CS:GO was released. One of the pioneers was NiP, and thanks to that, they managed to dominate the professional scene in the first years of the game. Remember that NiP boasts an impressive 87-0 record in LAN matches between 2012 and 2013. On top of that, they won a Major in 2014 and took two-second places.

In 2023, the first Major will be played in Paris next May. While the beta of the game will be launched, according to rumors, at the end of March or early April, it is improbable that BLAST will decide to use a game in its beta phase for a tournament of such magnitude. That’s why, for now, we’re sure to stick with CS:GO for a few more months.

Header: ESL