Drowning in the map pool: Inferno's downfall

Long gone are the days when Inferno was one of the most popular maps in competitive Counter-Strike. If anything, IEM Katowice 2024 is proof of that decline in the latest version of the classic game, where Inferno was only played twice in 72 total maps. The initial discovery was made by HLTV.org photographer, Josip "brcho" Brtan, and Dust2.us decided to dig deeper.

The transition from CS:GO to CS2 brought many changes gameplay-wise, but some maps were also modified. Overpass was noticeably visually changed, while Inferno feels completely remastered, with many aspects of the CS:GO version of the map being replaced in its CS2 counterpart. The map now feels more claustrophobic, with several open areas replaced with taller buildings, higher walls, and more details in tight areas. These modifications, coupled with the mechanic innovations of Source 2 and open skyboxes, completely changed how the map feels and how it is played.

Despite the fact that the basic structure of the map has not changed, esports professionals clearly do not like the changes made to Inferno. While being played only once during the 60 games of IEM Katowice 2024 group stage and once during the playoff weekend is alarming, it doesn't paint the whole picture. IEM Katowice 2024, play-in and main stage, is not even in the top three $100,000+ prize pool events where Inferno was the least played since the release of CS2.

Before diving into Inferno's CS2 numbers, let's look at the final days of its CS:GO version. For the period between the BLAST.tv Paris Major until the ESL Pro League Season 18, Inferno would make up 17.8% of the maps played in events with a prize pool equal to or bigger than $100,000. In a seven-map map pool, Inferno was being played more than once every six maps, something close to one Inferno every two BO3 series.

During the final stretch of CS:GO, Inferno was played the most at the IESF World Championship, featuring seven times in 24 maps (29.2%). It was played the least at ESL Challenger Katowice 2023, only being selected three times out of the 23 maps played (13.0%). These are events with a relatively low number of maps played, but if we only consider events with 50+ maps played, the least we would see Inferno being played would be during BetBoom Playlist Freedom (14.17%), while the most would be during BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2023 (22.8%).

Even when it was least played, CS:GO's Inferno was featured almost once every seven maps, but everything changed with Counter-Strike 2's launch.

It started with IEM Sydney 2023, where Inferno made up 11.9% of maps played, immediately lower than the ESL CHallenger Katowice 2023 (13.0%). Roobet Cup, Thunderpick World Championship, and CS Asia Championship would very rarely see Inferno, with it being featured just 7.8% of the time. The worst moment for the map would come during PARI Please, with Inferno being played only once during the first event (3.0%) and not even being featured at all during ESL Challenger Jönköping in 23 maps played. The most Inferno would be played in a CS2 event would be during ESL Challenger Atlanta, with 18.2%, which is just barely over CS:GO's Inferno final days average.

Longer tournaments would feature less Inferno, as the average played during events with 50+ maps would go from 17.5% in CS:GO to 10.5% in CS2 - a stark contrast. During the entirety of IEM Katowice, Inferno made up 7.2% of maps played, the least ever for a Katowice event but not for a CS2 tournament.

Inferno's preponderance in Katowice has reached an all-time low 10 years after ESL One Katowice 2014 saw Inferno being played 43.2% of the time. While 2014 was an outlier year, Inferno consistently made up 22.0% of maps played in the Polish event, even after the format changes to the event, which added more games, and even after the 2019 Major. It remains to be seen if 2024 will be an outlier year, just like 2014 but in the opposite direction, or if the trend will continue.

It's safe to say that the numbers don't lie, and Inferno's downfall is not a myth. Replying to brcho's tweet regarding Inferno's situation, many fans and CS personalities have expressed their desire to see changes in the map or even to see it replaced by other maps. With the PGL Major Copenhagen right around the corner, it's highly unlikely to see huge changes to the map in the next weeks, but who knows what Valve is cooking for the community after the first CS2 Major.