Counter-Strike 2 News

Fundraiser started for CS:GO referees who caught cheating coaches

A Gofundme page has been started to help compensate Michel Slowinski and Steve Dudenhoeffer, the two referees responsible for trawling through hundreds of hours of in-game footage of professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive gameplay to investigate cheating allegations.

Their work uncovered the use of a spectator bug by coaches and led to Aleksandr 'MechanoGun' Bogatiryev of Hard Legion Esports, Ricardo 'dead' Sinigaglia of MiBR, and Nicolai 'HUNDEN' Petersen of Heroic being banned from ESL, and dead also being banned from BTS.

The bug in question allowed spectators - in this case, coaches - to place their camera anywhere in the arena, allowing them to view areas they would not usually be allowed to including the enemy spawn zone. Slowinski and Dudenhoeffer watched hundreds of hours of in-game footage as part of their investigation, and fans are clearly eager to show their appreciation.

Read the rest of the story...

ESIC investigating 15 allegations of match-fixing in CS:GO

After ESL and BTS have both banned coaches for exploiting a spectator bug to cheat in CS:GO, ESIC has announced that its ongoing match-fixing investigation in the esport has turned up 15 cases which it considers "to be of significant concern for the industry." These investigations are yet to be concluded, and while they might not all result in guilty verdicts, the sheer number of them is cause for alarm.

The investigations began 18 months ago, and were triggered by "suspicious bet alerts through [ESIC's] global integrity monitoring framework." Investigations of this nature are complicated and often slow moving, as the betting patterns can be both difficult to trace and to source, while deliberate actions on behalf of the players can be difficult to prove.

The investigation has centred around the MDL tournament series, ran by ESL subsidiary ESEA.

Read the rest of the story...

MiBR and dead punished by BTS for use of the CS:GO coach bug

Following ESL banning coaches Aleksandr 'MechanoGun' Bogatiryev, Ricardo 'dead' Sinigaglia, and Nicolai 'HUNDEN' Petersen for abusing a spectator bug in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, BTS has concluded its own investigation into the bug and has also banned dead for the same offense.

dead was coaching MiBR when these offenses occurred, and the team has already acted decisively, firing the coach following the ESL ban. The organisation is yet to make a comment following the BTS decison, but while they have been offered the right to appeal, the team's reaction to the ESL ban suggests that is unlikely.

This cheating allowed spectators - such as the coaches - to place themselves anywhere on the map. This allowed them an unfair insight into what the other team was doing, and included observing areas which the opposition would usually be unable to see, such as the enemy team spawn area.

Read the rest of the story...

ESL bans three CS:GO coaches for abusing spectator bug

ESL has banned three Counter-Strike: Global Offensive coaches for at least six months after they were caught abusing an in-game camera bug. The bug allowed the coaches to see areas of the map which were supposed to be hidden from players, including the enemy team's spawn area.

The three coaches banned are Aleksandr 'MechanoGun' Bogatiryev of Hard Legion Esports, Ricardo 'dead' Sinigaglia of MiBR, and Nicolai 'HUNDEN' Petersen of Heroic. The bans came a day after Heroic won ESL One: Cologne and scooped the $150,000 prize, though Heroic was not found to be using the exploit at all during this tournament.

ESL provided a statement which detailed when and where the coaches were caught cheating, and some have claimed that this cheating is further evidence that results from online tournaments can never be conclusively proven to have been cheat free. Though online play is a necessity enforced by the pandemic, it is much harder to regulate and ensure a level playing field.

Read the rest of the story...

Chaos signs MarKE, makes vanity in-game leader for CS:GO

Edgar 'MarKE' Maldonado has signed for Chaos' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squad, replacing Joshua 'steel' Nissan. Steel was a veteran of the CS:GO scene and Chaos' in-game leader, but he recently swapped CS:GO for Valorant, as many CS:GO pros have done in the past few weeks.

Chaos confirmed the signing in an official announcement on its website, in which the team also announced that while MarKE is filling steel's spot, Anthony 'vanity' Malaspina will be taking over from steel as in-game leader. Erik 'Xeppaa' Bach, Nathan 'leaf' Orf, and Jon 'Jonji-JLC' Carey complete the five person line-up for Chaos.

MarKE has been on the scene since 2016, and has previously played for NRG, Torqued, Swole Patrol, eUnited, and most recently Ze Pug Godz. In Chaos' statement, the team says it hopes MarKE will "bring the right mixture of experience and raw mechanical skill to balance the team and help carry it to new heights."

Read the rest of the story...