Bubzkji: "CS2 Esports most likely needs North America for a majority of reasons"

Former Counter-Strike pro player and current broadcast analyst Lucas "Bubzkji" Andersen says that the CS2 esports scene "needs" a thriving North American scene for the sake of the overall industry's health.

The former Danish player who played for the likes of Astralis and MAD Lions wrote on X, in the wake of Complexity's exit from the scene, that "the idea that some say CS2 doesn't need NA and will thrive without the #1 entertainment economy [the US] is delusive."

Bubzkji wrote that without a thriving NA scene, there could be fewer and smaller sponsors, undervalued media rights, and less interest from US streaming and TV networks. He also cited a projection from market forecaster site eMarkterer which says that total US advertising spend will reach $422 billion, compared to $16 billion in Brazil and $12 billion in Russia.

A separate report from Statista says that worldwide esports revenue will reach $4.8 billion in 2025, with a quarter of that alone projected to come from the US.

With Complexity's departure from Counter-Strike, there are even fewer NA organizations competing in the game. NRG and M80 are amongst the only organizations that are based in NA and competing in NA. Liquid was originally founded in the Netherlands and is now classified as an EU team. FaZe is a massive American organization, but have always fielded primarily European rosters. Several of NA's biggest esports organizations like Cloud9, Envy, and 100 Thieves no longer compete in Counter-Strike at all.

The future of NA Counter-Strike does not feel certain, despite having just hosted a Major just a couple months ago. But is there hope for the future?