2023 turned out to be extremely eventful: the transition to Counter-Strike 2 swept through the entire community like a hurricane, the esports scene had the most chaotic shake-up ever, and even without that, CS.MONEY Blog has plenty to reminisce about. Here’s an ultimate digest on what happened in CS in 2023: new engine, main events, dramas, and best pro players highlights.
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Counter-Strike 2
How many rumours there have been circulating? How much copium has been used? It was probably the most hyped-up moment of the decade in all esports. We waited for it, and finally, it happened! Throughout 2023, CS2 was the main topic of discussion. Here’s how the whole CS2 transition went in chronological order.
March 5, 2023: Rumours about a new Counter-Strike game had been whispered among the community for a long time, but it remained speculative until esports journalist Richard Lewis dropped a media bomb: CS2 is real, and it will be out very soon! The Hype Was Real.
March 22, 2023: Valve officially announces CS2. In a series of videos, the developers introduce updated smoke behaviour and a new subtick system to enhance matchmaking experiences. Additionally, they showcased updated versions of some maps. The game’s release was set for the summer of 2023, with closed beta testing in the meantime.
June 30, 2023: Nuke and Mirage were added to CS2, and the update included improvements to sound, animations, and network code.
August 31, 2023: Counter-Strike 2 wasn’t officially released but essentially transitioned into an open beta phase (access became completely open), receiving two massive updates. Firstly, match duration was reduced to MR12. Secondly, Valve introduced a new rating system, which is still active today.
September 27, 2023: Counter-Strike 2, with a slight delay (Valve Time, nothing new), officially released. However, it didn’t go smoothly; developers didn’t add any new content with the release, and some CS:GO content (e.g., Danger Zone) was removed. Significant server problems were also a thing, but now it is not a big deal.
November 16, 2023: Valve releases a major update, fixing various bugs and making changes to several maps.
Currently, Valve continues to work on Counter-Strike 2, releasing updates pretty often. There’s little new content, and 2024 is expected to bring breakthroughs in terms of new maps, operations, and skins. Speaking of skins, most of them look even better on the new engine. If you want to update your inventory, CS.MONEY is an excellent platform to do so. A vast selection of skins, convenient filters, a simple interface, and the option to cashout at our Market await!
Competitive Scene in 2023: The Year of ZywOo
Due to the release of Counter-Strike 2, this year can be divided into two parts. On the one hand, we witnessed the last CS:GO Major, and other tournament organizers slowly began to bid farewell to the beloved game. On the other hand, after the release of CS2, we saw the first huge tournaments and got an idea of what to expect in the future.
These two parts of the year significantly differ to the extent that we can talk about different eras. However, there’s one constant that unites them. 2023 was the year of Team Vitality and, specifically, ZywOo.
The French club won the only Major on their home turf, and in CS2, they claimed the BLAST Premier: World Final. Meanwhile, the team’s main star, ZywOo, had an impressive season, leaving no chance for anyone to be the number one. More details about the Frenchman’s achievements are in a separate article; his statistics are impressive.
FaZe Clan also deserves mention. Before Twistzz left, this team won several initial Counter-Strike 2 tournaments in a row. It’s not the legendary Ninjas In Pyjamas streak from 2012-2014, but Karrigan and his team made it into the game’s history.
S1mple Takes a Break
Another significant event was s1mple’s competitive break. After the release of CS2, the greatest player in CS:GO history paused his competitive career to rest and recharge. The Ukrainian expressed some dissatisfaction with the new version of the game, but it is believed that he will return to the game after some time, and who knows, maybe not even with Natus Vincere.
Big Blow to ESL and BLAST
Let’s talk a bit more about the future. In 2023, Valve announced that so-called partner leagues would be prohibited from 2025 onwards. Invitations to teams must use Valve’s rating and no other; all huge tournaments must hold open qualifiers.
Predicting the long-term consequences of Valve’s decision is… hard because it depends on its implementation and how well tournament organizers can adapt. The year 2024 will be the last for ESL Pro League and BLAST Premier in their current format, that’s for sure.
Pro Players Best Highlights of 2023
We couldn’t conclude the year-end text without the coolest highlights of CS pro players in 2023. This year had many bright moments, and they are worth mentioning.
We can’t ignore the highlight of the year, according to the Esports Awards. M0NESY is already called the highlight machine, and in the IEM Cologne match against G2 Esports, he showcased brilliance.
But even in CS2, Ilya didn’t stop. His clutch against Natus Vincere is the first to come to mind when talking about highlights in the new Valve game.
Another spectacular player in 2023 was Twistzz. The Canadian player, for example, aced, securing a 1v3 clutch in the grand final of the seventeenth season of ESL Pro League.
In CS2, Russel also demonstrated a masterclass on Vertigo.
Another noteworthy clutch was pulled off by CadiaN. In the match against Team Vitality in BLAST Premier, the Dane single-handedly dismantled opponents on Nuke.
In CS2, a similar trick was performed by Ax1Le. On the pistol round against Vitality, he was left alone and managed to pull off an incredible round.
But Vitality wasn’t only on the receiving end of highlights. ZywOo had some fantastic moments.
The year 2023 was extremely fruitful for highlights, but it was also a year of change. Now that we have Counter-Strike 2, even more cool moments and events await us! Rest assured that CS.MONEY Blog will continue to tell you about the most interesting events in the world of CS. Thank you for being and staying with us!
