Take a big breath everyone, as the professional scene of Counter-Strike is likely going to be once again lit on fire as fans dance in the ashes this coming Monday, on September 28, 2020.
ESIC has stated that their ‘first set’ of substantial findings related to the spectating bug and exploitation will be released on the 28th, subject to stakeholder complications. This alone tells us a frightening amount.
(Note: this is subject to any complications that may arise in our consultation with various stakeholders).
— ESIC (@ESIC_Official) September 24, 2020
First, the idea that this is only going to be the first set of findings (as ESIC announced that the analysis and investigations dip as far back as 2015) means that we’re likely going to see multiple waves of impact that can scatter standings and past trophies, from Majors to T3 play.
Coaches that are found to have been using the bug for their team’s advantage will be suspended, as ESIC has already shown, and titles and points will likely be forfeited meaning that this event alone holds the possibility of rewriting the history of Counter-Strike as it is currently known.
Secondly, the results are likely to have long-standing consequences as stakeholders are mentioned to hold weight within the investigation. This part we arguably could already theorize as ESIC has already handed out massive suspensions to coaches that were found to be implicit in the bug prior to the investigation kicking out at the level that we’re currently seeing.
Some organizations are actually going to have a ‘case of the Mondays’ come the 28th, and the results are going to be fascinating to watch in real-time.
You can expect coverage of the investigation here, on HG, in two parts: the first part will outline and explain precisely what the first set of information that ESIC contains, ranging from convicted coaches and organizations along with the fines, and everything else that the investigation covers that is worth mentioning.
The second part will cover the fall-out from the organizations, players, and ESIC admins themselves as they begin rewriting past matches and how they have been altered due to the investigation.
Currently, when the second part of the investigational findings will be released by ESIC is unknown, but speculated to happen the following week. This gives time for the ashes of everything burning down to settle, and organizations to react to contact as necessary from the findings.
Further, the match-fixing investigation has been relatively quiet thus far; it’s a notably difficult aspect to prove that players were complicit in, an ESIC has been rather quiet on that front as the majority of the attention has been offered to the spectating exploit. They’ve noted that they are embroiled in fifteen ongoing investigations regarding match-fixing, and will update within four weeks of September 3.
Once ESIC makes a statement regarding the match-fixing, we will once again offer coverage in two parts.