Developer announces award for best CS:GO player of the decade

ESL announced last Tuesday (21/06) that it will offer the title and a cash prize to the winner of the category of best CS:GO player of the decade. The athlete will be chosen and announced during the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Rio Major 2022, a world championship that will take place in Brazil, between October 31 and November 13.

The initiative is a complement to the producer's tribute to the chosen candidate. The value has not yet been disclosed.

This action will be carried out to highlight the 10 years of Counter Strike: Global Offensive, celebrated in August 2022. In addition to the award, the pro-player who stood out the most will also take the stage of the world championship playoffs, in Rio de Janeiro.

For the first time in the history of competitive CS:GO, the world championship will take place in Brazil. After the cancellation of the previous tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the new edition was announced based in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together 24 international teams.

The winner's prize pool reaches US$1 million, in addition to offering the title of world champion to the team.

Meanwhile, the best CS:GO player of the decade will be chosen by vote, after election based on his performance over the years of his career. Several athletes from all over the world compete.

The awards will be streamed online through ESL platforms and partner streaming channels.

Brazil has 18 competitors for the best CS:GO player of the decade

Currently, all players who have reached the playoffs of any of the 17 CS:GO Majors ever held, i.e. from DreamHack Winter 2013 to PGL Major Antwerp 2022, are eligible for the award.

Because of this, Brazil was able to elect 18 candidates among the candidates, with prominent names such as Gabriel “FalleN”, Fernando “fer”, Lucas “steel” and Kaike “KSCERATO”.

The representative amount is no coincidence. Brazil is one of the countries with the highest number of pro-players registered in teams, in addition to being a highlight in the scenario since 2013, when CS:GO competitions began to take place.

According to a survey released by Betway Insider, the country has 212 professional Counter Strike players, out of 2,940 registered professionals. America has 70% of all pro-players in the game, which leads the ranking among competitive games.

Brazil is in third place in the list of most professionals, with a difference of only 16 players to the second place, which is with the United States.

Even so, the Brazilian candidates are among the most rated for the best CS:GO player of the decade, due to their influence and impact on the scenario, putting Brazilian teams on the world maps, which made it possible to host, for the first time, a championship world.

ESL plans other awards events

In addition to choosing the best CS:GO player of the decade during the IEM Rio Major 2022, ESL also announced other annual awards events for players in the professional competitive scene.

The CS:GO Player Awards will take place in 2023, with the first edition taking place during IEM Katowice 2023, the well-known world championship, after the national competitions.

In addition, it will bring more award categories, with the modalities of Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Team of the Year. The winners will be chosen from the votes of the top 100 CS:GO players in the ESL world rankings.

This dynamic was established by ESL Gaming Vice President of Product Development Michal “Carmac” Blicharz, stating that there is no better way to validate someone as the best CS:GO player than being selected among the best athletes on the planet.

The award will follow the molds of the selection of other niche games, such as League of Legends and Valorant, both from Riot Games, which already promotes events to reward its pro-players. According to Betway, an e-Sports betting site, there are more than 2,597 professionals in LoL and 1,846 players in Valorant.

Therefore, awards and incentives such as the best CS:GO player of the decade are promoted, to continue motivating professionals and making the scene grow, but also be recognized.