With Valve teasing the arrival of CS2 today, fans have been extremely excited to see how the full launch will stand. With that said, Counter-Strike 2 will replace CS: GO permanently with its launch. This has concerned many professionals, as the ongoing ESL Pro League Season 18 is nearing its end. The quarter-finals will commence on September 28, with only four teams heading into the semi-finals stage on September 30, and only two will make it to the grand finals on October 1. Amidst the competition, ESL polled the participating teams and asked them for their opinion on switching to Counter-Strike 2 mid-EPL Season.
Also read: ESL Pro League Season 18 Schedule, Groups, Format, Where To Watch
ESL Polls Teams Regarding CS2 Switch Mid-Season
ESL has confirmed that the organization has asked the participating teams to switch to CS2 from CS: GO during the ongoing EPL Season 18 tournament. While many professionals and content creators have already started practicing Counter-Strike 2 with the Limited-Test session, many players still rely on the good old Global Offensive. Among the ESL Pro League participants, the organization confirmed that they are in discussion with players regarding the switch as early as possible with Valve's tease earlier this week.
Out of the 20 teams polled by HLTV, only four confirmed about scrimmaging Counter-Strike 2. The poll occurred on September 24, 2023, with only Team Vitality, GamerLegion, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Monte ensuring their preparation with CS2. The rest 16 teams are focusing on CS: GO, with big names like NAVI, Fnatic, and Team Liquid solely concentrating on the current tournament.
Switching games mid-EPL can be a massive change for players still getting used to the Counter-Strike 2 mechanics. While both games share a similar mechanical foundation, players have still shared their opinions on the difficulty of shifting mid-season. As of now, CS2's arrival is still to be taken with a grain of salt, as Valve's tease offers very little information regarding the launch. However, it is yet to see what the developers have in their pipeline.