It has been revealed that the upcoming Paris Major will be the final CSGO Major to ever take place. It’s being hosted in the Accor Arena in the heart of France’s capital, and it boasts a $1.25 million price pool – and after a decade, it’s the swansong event for what is arguably the world’s most popular esports title.
Valve has confirmed that the first Counter-Strike 2 Major will take place in March 2024, presenting an unprecedented gap between what could be considered the most impactful events in the series’ esports scene. It’s assumed that this is so the game’s professional players have enough time to get up to date with CS2 once it has emerged from its limited test phase.
Counter-Strike 2 Is Going Wild
At the moment, Valve is being quite restrictive about who can play Counter-Strike 2, but there’s plenty of publicity surrounding the closed testing phase. Following a string of reveals that showed exactly what is new in Counter-Strike 2, Valve confirmed that the full game will release in the summer of 2023 and that it’ll be totally free to play.
Between May 8th and May 21st, the last-ever CSGO Major will take place in Paris, with the world’s greatest Counter-Strike teams descending upon the event. It’ll be one of the last trophies lifted on a grand stage for a game that has essentially spearheaded the esports industry for the last decade or so.
In recent weeks, CSGO has had no issues remaining relevant, securing record-breaking player figures over and over again. However, Counter-Strike 2 is already trying to take over, and within just two days, videos showcasing the game’s new elements – such as tickless servers, responsive smokes, and redesigned maps – have secured more than 12 million views on Valve’s YouTube channel.
There are expectations that CS2 will bring about a grand resurgence, with Valve seeking to claw back some of the viewership and talent lost to VALORANT, which launched in 2020. There are already rumours that Valve is trying to compete with VALORANT’s upcoming mobile product with a potential mobile version of Counter-Strike 2.
Will Counter-Strike 2 instantly become immensely popular as an esports title when the first CS2 Major takes place in 2024?
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of Dark and Darker being removed from Steam following a DMCA claim.
