Why CS:GO Is Losing Future Talents To VALORANT
Ever since the release of VALORANT back in June of this year, it's been a huge hit. So big that CS:GO players started to switch games. Not only casual players, but those who get paid to play for some of the biggest teams. Others include popular streamers that decided to dabble in the competitive industry after being benched or retiring from Counter-Strike.
The game was a refreshing change for gamers, with a combination of creative illustrations, map designs, and character powers - who wouldn't get hooked? CS:GO, on the other hand, lacks updates and hardly changes its map layouts. Now cache and mirage did get some new features, but nothing great, mostly different colours and objects in their original placements.
Z connector added a window which just gave CT a bigger advantage. T side mid had boost and mid entrance, allowing them to choose a mid-peek with angle options. The window addition just evened out mid sniping spots, which makes no sense. Other added advantages for CT included an A side box boost, and thinner walls alongside toxic, making it easier for the defending side to wall-bang their opponents. Next map is mirage. Updates were basically a bench and new wall-bang spots. Those wall-bangs once again gave CT the advantage whereas the bench really only added a peek on cat, and solo boost to sniper. VALORANT map designs are smooth and offer very clean gameplay.
Other fan favourites include abilities and ultimate factors. These agent power-ups offer map creativity and better site execution. Map entrance options are unlimited, making the game more playable for attacking. Once you master angles in CS:GO, it's easy to build a team capable of dominating their defence tactics. The game starts to become bland, and everyone knows the changes that Valve needs to make.
For others, it's less about the game and more about career restrictions. Once a pro enters the highest tier of playing, expect to see them around for ten plus years. This means if you're a pub stomper on ESEA, you might not get the recognition you deserve. Esports is a business, so known organisations will look at profiting from buyouts. Winning isn't the only form of revenue - but it definitely helps. So if you're an online talent that's great, just know not everyone has the mental ability to transfer their skills when playing in front of a live audience.
VALORANT is a new game meaning the scene will seek out young talents. Swag seemed to have started that after struggling to find high tier teams due to his ban back in 2014. T1 and VALORANT gave the young star another chance at playing with the best. This helped boost his ego and was also responsible for his massive following on Twitch. ShahZaM also made the switch after retiring back in 2019, where he faced multiple bench sessions with Complexity. Now he plays for the Sentinels who are the number one team in North America. They're also the latest Pop Flash champions after they beat out Team Envy for twenty-five grand.
Click to enlargeObviously, ex-pros are going to get first dibs on a team. But ESEA has pumped out some great young players. TenZ and Asuna who once played on the same contracted team Recon5 both swapped titles. Being a part of Cloud9, TenZ already had a small following - whereas Asuna didn't. The only known team he played for was Triumph, a Brazilian team with fifty grand in earnings that played in the smaller ESEA events. This contract only lasted around two months for Asuna. After that, he was signed to Immortals. The team gave him a chance to better his skills and create a following for himself. When a pro decides to switch games, they will receive more attention. It's also important to see how smaller players get picked up.
Online communities and fan bases produce a lot of decision making for players. In CS:GO, the community is very aggressive and usually lacks filtering. These fans are like no other, which is generally a good thing for teams - except for when they lose. Fans tend to go wild and bash the way their team played in an event. Pros start to care less and less about the people that watch them, which can result in a poor performance.
VALORANT, on the other hand, has a very supportive community, especially on Reddit or Twitch. Fans are always happy to watch their team play no matter the results. That's because the industry is new and exciting. Counter-Strike is one of the longest-running game series that is still active - who knows how long it will last. It's an impressive accomplishment for PC players. Despite that, all being true VALORANT offers so many features and allows those to enjoy their matches at max capacity.
Images via Riot Games | Pop Flash
