HSG fe: Close to be the first mixed CS:GO team competing in Major RMR

The mixed CS:GO team HSG fe have earned a direct invite to the Chinese Closed Qualifier for the APAC RMR of Blast.tv Paris Major 2023. The Qualifier is scheduled to take place from February 17–19 and will decide whether the squad will enter history as the first mix-gendered team to attend a Major RMR. 

Team HSG fe, which registered for the event with three female and two male players, received a direct invitation from BLAST Premier to the Chinese RMR Qualifier, where they will have the opportunity to advance to the Asia-Pacific RMR.

Update: Because the invitation arrived bit late and the team had already sent the players to their home towns, HSF fe will play with one man as a stand-in. 

If they succeed, the Chinese-Malaysian-Hong Kong lineup will be the first mixed team to ever compete in a Major RMR event, and potentially in the Major as well.  

In the Closed Qualifier, HSG will face off against other Chinese CS:GO powerhouse teams like Rare Atom and Wings UP Gaming. In the event that they succeed, they will reach the APAC RMR, serving as an example for other mix-gendered teams and women’s CS:GO players, paving the way for more diversity in the competitive arena.

HSG’s CS:GO journey thus far, from weekly tournaments to RMR closed qualifier

HSG first appeared in the women’s CS:GO scene in 2021 after the organization acquired the entire TYLOO Female roster. Under the new moniker, the group—which had a lot of past experience playing together and had prevailed in numerous C-tier competitions—rose to the top quite quickly.

The Asian mix crushed the competition in the region, frequently taking first place in the weekly ESL Impact Cash Cup competition before making news at the well-known all-women’s Chinese tournament ESL DouyuTV Take Aim! Goddess. The squad successfully qualified for ESL Impact League Season 2, their first-ever international outing, after maintaining their unwavering performance at the Asian Qualifier.

They put on a standout performance during the ESL Impact group stage, crushing the North American teams Evil Geniuses Gold and CLG Red to secure their place in the playoffs. Although the team lost to FURIA Female in the semifinals and ultimately finished the competition in third or fourth place, they were handed an invitation to the ESL Impact Katowice 2023 for their exceptional performance on the international stage.

HSG fe CS:GO roster

• Fong “Hazel” Sin-man
• Ramona “GFi” Azween Binti Zaharuddin
• Aisya “Argent” Sabrina
• Xinni “XiaoWu” Wu
• Nian “Hffo” Zhao

Why is it significant?

While there are plenty of mix-gendered CS:GO teams, very few make it into the upper echelons of the competitive scene. CS:GO has one of the biggest prize pools in esports, but no mixed team has ever made it to any Major or not even in the RMRs. Even though the RMR events are open for everyone of every gender and identity, they are still dominated by men. 

The root problem of this is the unpalatable fact that, like in other well-liked sports, there is a skill gap between men and women in CS:GO. Many women and other minority-gender players do not view esports as a realistic career option due to a lack of role models and low earnings, limiting the pool of CS:GO talent mostly to males.

Header: ESL Gaming