Report: ESL polling teams about potential CS2 switch during EPL playoffs

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is reaching the end of its lifespan, but that does not mean the competitive community is currently in a place to accept such a switch. ESL Pro League Season 18 is happening right now, with playoffs scheduled to run through this Sunday.

Despite the forced transition, organizers are still able to complete their current tournaments on CS:GO thanks to some help from Valve. This would allow ESL to complete Pro League on the current edition of Counter-Strike and then move all their future tournaments to Counter-Strike 2.

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However, Dust2.us has learned that ESL has taken the step of asking teams at ESL Pro League Season 18 if they would consider switching to Counter-Strike 2 as soon as possible, which would most likely be for the semifinals or grand finals. At this time, it's unknown how teams have responded to the poll.

When contacted by Dust2.us, ESL provided the following statement;

Generally, we survey teams and players participating in our competitions to get an understanding of their opinions on a variety of topics. Now, we are indeed in discussions with the EPL Playoffs teams to understand their preferences in the event that Valve's tease for tomorrow holds true and CS2 releases to replace CS:GO. Once any final decisions come out of this we'll update you as soon as possible.

There are obvious concerns regarding a potential switch to the newest version of the game in the middle of the event; congruity with earlier matches, game readiness, and the capability of the tournament organizer to ensure a swift transition that will not incur significant technical delays. Additionally, there are concerns that CS2 is not yet a finished or complete game with new bugs and exploits found daily.

While some teams have begun practicing the newest version of the game, others have been putting all their attention on CS:GO. With so many teams in so many different places, it's hard to imagine that we will end up seeing a switch to the newest version during the playoffs.

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