Counter-Strike 2 News

BLAST has reportedly scrapped its controversial partnership with NEOM

Over two weeks after it was originally announced, the partnership between tournament organisers BLAST and controversial Saudi Arabian venture NEOM has reportedly ended.

While there is yet to be official confirmation, sources close to HLTV reveal that BLAST has cut ties with the project, which is backed by the Saudi government and looks to build a futuristic mega city in the country. BLAST's deal with NEOM was billed as being its biggest ever when it was announced, and would see it act as a consultant for the mega city's planned esports academy. The Saudi government's questionable track record on human rights and attitudes towards women and LGBTQ people, plus the removal of indigenous people in the area where the city is planned to be built, saw many disappointed with the partnership.

Last week, some of CS:GO's most well-known casters and stage hosts increased the pressure on BLAST by refusing to work with them again until the partnership ended. HLTV also reports that many of BLAST's partner CS:GO teams began internally voice concerns as well, and the CEO of arguably its biggest partner, Astralis, went public to condemn the NEOM deal.

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Who is Shroud? Net worth, earnings, streaming setup, and more

Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek is a popular streamer and former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional. The Canadian, who was born in Toronto but is actually of Polish descent, really made a name for himself through streaming on Twitch. In October 2019, he moved to rival site Mixer, only to return to Twitch in August 2020 following the platform's collapse

Shroud plays a variety of games on his streams but leans more towards battle royale games and first-person shooters. His most played games are PUBG, CS:GO, Apex Legends, Valorant, and Escape From Tarkov. However, he has also put a lot of hours into GTA V, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and World of Warcraft.

He made a name for himself as part of Cloud9's CS:GO team. He signed for them in 2014 and left both Cloud9 and competitive CS:GO entirely in April 2018. Shroud's most notable achievement from his time at the organisation was helping his team win Season 4 of the ESL Pro League, beating SK Gaming in the finals to net him and his teammates $200,000 (£162,000).

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CS:GO caster Moses joins Team Liquid as head coach

Team Liquid has hired Jason 'Moses' O'Toole as their new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive head coach, in a slightly unusual move which sees him switching the commentary booth for the coach's hot seat. Previously an accomplished player for the likes of Elevate and Denial Esports, Moses has gone on to become one of the most popular casters around, although for now at least, he's hanging up the mic.

Team Liquid has form in this area too. Joshua 'Jatt' Leesman, the current head coach of Liquid's League of Legends team, had also previously been a caster before moving into coaching.

Moses replaces Eric 'adreN' Hoag, who had been hugely successful in the role, helping the team clinch ESL One Cologne, DreamHack Masters Dallas, and IEM Sydney to name a few. AdreN also coached the team to the Intel Grand Slam victory, which they achieved in a faultless, record breaking four straight tournaments.

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New CS:GO weapons case adds 17 community designed skins

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's new update released earlier today, bringing with it some gameplay tweaks, updates to several maps, and a boatload of new weapon skins. There are 17 new skins in total, and perhaps the most interesting thing about these weapons is the fact they were all designed by community artists.

There's a whole range of weapons and designs available, with MAC-10s, Glocks, Desert Eagles, and the classic AK-47 all getting a makeover. Some of these designs are classic two tone affairs, others have a graffiti overlay, while there's a few with designs inspired by various cultures too.

Elsewhere, three maps (Mutiny, Swamp, and Anubis) have also been updated. However, these updates only deal with stability updates, fixing clipping, and tweaks to elements like fade distancing. That means you probably won't immediately notice the map updates, although they'll certainly improve your overall experience.

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FaZe reportedly replacing CS:GO stand-in Bymas with Kjaerbye

Danish Counter-Strike pro Markus '⁠Kjaerbye⁠' Kjærbye is set to join FaZe Clan, according to reports, with Aurimas 'Bymas'⁠ Pipiras leaving the roster after a trial period.

Cybersport Poland and HLTV are reporting that ex-North player Kjaerbye, who has been without a team for over two months since leaving the organisation, will join FaZe ahead of the online ESL One Cologne regional event later this month. This will see FaZe release Lithuanian teenager Bymas, who has been standing in for CS:GO veteran Olof 'Olofmeister⁠' Kajbjer since he announced he was taking time away from competing in May. While those were always big shoes to fill, Bymas has struggled to impress on the star-studded roster.

Instead, the more experienced Kjaerbye is now expected to step in, but with FaZe and the player himself yet to confirm the move, it's unclear whether it will still be on a temporary basis in anticipation for an Olofmeister return or a longer stay on the FaZe roster.

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