The announcement of Counter-Strike 2 (opens in new tab) earlier this week marked the start of a complete new period for what is maybe essentially the most storied shooter in videogame historical past. It’s going to additionally mark the top of an period, as Valve introduced in the present day that the upcoming Paris Main 2023 would be the final Main Championship occasion ever performed on that model of the sport.
The Majors are mostly-annual CS:GO championship occasions, held in locales around the globe and with huge cash prizes up for grabs. The earlier championship occasion, the Rio Main 2022 (opens in new tab), had a $1.25 million prize pool, and the Paris Main will provide the identical. Like the sport itself, the Majors stay massively in style regardless of its age: It has been operating since 2013 and nonetheless sells out main arenas, and is broadcast around the globe in a number of languages.
However having lastly determined that it is time to transfer on from CS:GO, Valve is losing no time in shifting issues alongside. “The Paris Main would be the remaining CS:GO Main,” it tweeted in the present day. “The next Main can be in March 2024 and the primary in Counter-Strike 2.”
That is a full 12 months from now, which by rights needs to be sufficient time to squash bugs and sand down the tough edges of the incoming sequel. And if not, properly, that may be enjoyable too, not less than from the attitude of a spectator who has nothing invested and is not competing for a giant truckload of cash.
The Paris Main would be the remaining CS:GO Main. The next Main can be in March 2024 and the primary in Counter-Strike 2.March 24, 2023
Counter-Strike 2 is simply in closed beta at this level, and Valve is being fairly selective (opens in new tab) about who will get in. However even at this early stage, there’s an expectation that it’ll not simply keep on CS:GO’s legacy, however surpass it: As streamer Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek suggested when CS2 was introduced, “Give up Valorant, it is finished. It is fucking over (opens in new tab).” It is most likely not fairly over for Valorant and its thousands and thousands of gamers, however Counter-Strike 2 is certain to have a significant influence on the aggressive shooter scene.
The Paris Main 2023 (opens in new tab)—the final CS:GO Main ever—takes place on the Accor Enviornment from Could 8 and runs to Could 21.
