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Published: September 28, 2023

Written by: Stefan Velikov

  • The decision came after the ESL polled the participating teams
  • However, it’s unclear what these teams have answered
  • Changes to the ESL will come after the current tournament is finished

After many were worried that a mid-playoff switch to CS2 would ruin the tournament’s integrity, it was decided that the remainder of the ESL Pro League Season 18 playoffs will be played on CS:GO.

ESL Updates the Fans

Ever since Valve announced they are working on Counter-Strike 2 back in February of this year, players have been excited about the new game. However, considering the company did not announce an official date of when the game will be released, only saying it will come sometime in the summer of 2023, there were many unknowns regarding which version tournaments will be played on.

Counter-Strike 2 was finally released yesterday, much to the delight of the community. The game essentially replaces CS:GO and brings with itself a totally revamped engine along with a ton of cosmetic and map changes. However, since the title was released in the middle of the ESL Pro League Season 18, many wondered if the tournament’s playoffs would be played on CS2.

“Generally, we survey teams and players participating in our competitions to get an understanding of their opinions on a variety of topics,” the ESL said in an interview for dust2.us regarding the community’s initial worries. “Now, we are indeed in discussions with the EPL Playoffs teams to understand their preferences in the event that Valve’s tease for tomorrow holds true and CS2 releases to replace CS:GO. Once any final decisions come out of this, we’ll update you as soon as possible.”

Fortunately for those who worry, the tournament organizers said that the ESL Pro League Season 18 playoffs will be played in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, despite yesterday’s release of the new game. This decision was taken after the organizers surveyed the participating teams about a possible switch to Counter-Strike 2 for the later stages. However, it is unknown if the teams wished for the switch to be made, or for the tournament to continue on CS:GO.

Many players and fans thought that it would not be a good idea for the mid-playoff switch to CS2 as this would bring a lot of new changes to the game, which would ruin the integrity of the tournament. Furthermore, it has become somewhat customary for ESL and BLAST, who run the vast majority of the top Counter-Strike circuit, to do so on an outdated version of the game.

There will definitively be more changes coming to ESL’s competitions now once CS2 has been released and the organization said it will update fans as soon as possible.

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CS:GO ESL Pro League
Author Image
Stefan Velikov

Stefan is a well-versed gamer who loves every aspect of gaming - including its most competitive nature. He is bringing you the latest updates from the world of esports as he painstakingly tracks dozens of competitions. 

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1
Live odds: CS:GO

09:15 AM

Home

Away

Gui
Ano
1.47
2.47

00:00 AM

Home

Away

Wil
NRG
1.85
1.84

02:30 AM

Home

Away

M80
FLU
1.06
8.85

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