ESEA delays upcoming season for CS2 release

A conversation with an ESEA admin shared by Dylan "dyragu" G shows that the TO plans to delay the start of their next season to coordinate with the release of CS2. CS2 has been slated to release at some time during the Summer, however a definitive date is yet to be announced making it hard for ESEA to give a date on when the 46th season of their league will start. In the last message in the thread the admin states that the season is unlikely to get started before mid-July.

The decision has been made to avoid switching games mid-season which could not only cause logistical issues but will help avoid any competitive integrity problems that may arise. However, with the release date of CS2 still being a question mark the decision to delay until its release has left some wondering how long they will have to wait to hop back in the server, especially for those in the lower divisions where ESEA is the only real Competitive Counter-Strike league at that level.

ESEA is one of the core pillars of the Counter-Strike scene, especially when for the grassroots game and providing a path to the top of the scene. The theoretical possibility that a team can go from playing in the Open division all the way to ECL, ESL Pro League Conference, and then ESL Pro League is a unique pathway for teams that otherwise rely on Open qualifiers to get a chance to rub shoulders with the best in the world.