After launching the product in 2022, ESL have introduced that their girls’s Counter-Strike 2 league ESL Influence might be suspended after the end result of its eighth season.
On-line play for the season is about to return to an finish later this month, with the potential ultimate, Finals to be performed on the finish of November throughout DreamHack Stockholm.
Influence to Come to an Finish After Season 8
Of their announcement submit concerning the closure of the league, ESL stated that the “present financial mannequin is solely not sustainable.” Though that is “regardless of important funding.”
The way forward for ESL Influence: pic.twitter.com/nul6ReGGo0
— ESL Influence (@ESLImpact) October 3, 2025
They added that they are going to “proceed to assist the neighborhood,” though they haven’t but stated something on what that assist could also be.
A match circuit that was introduced underneath the tagline “GG for all,” many tier one CS organizations have been initially concerned with the challenge. Nonetheless, over time, huge names corresponding to NAVI, VP, and G2 all pulled out.
ESL did attempt to fight this by including membership incentives surrounding content material made by the organizations. Nonetheless, this wasn’t sufficient to entice the organizations again to the circuit, nor was it sufficient to spice up its viewership.
Vilga, one of the profitable ESL Influence gamers with 4 season victories, put out a press release on behalf of NIP Influence, saying that “This departure leaves a niche that can not be overstated,” and calling on others “to step ahead and make investments on this neighborhood.”
Vilga was one of the profitable gamers in ESL Influence, profitable 4 seasons of the occasion. Picture Credit score: ESL
The closure of the circuit has precipitated some controversy, one thing that the circuit isn’t unfamiliar with. Though prize swimming pools have steadily elevated — Season 5 had a $123,000 prizepool in comparison with $223,000 for Season 8 — the circuit has shrunk in measurement, with the South American and North American areas being merged, while APAC was eliminated altogether.
Gamers and expertise have already begun to share their instant reactions to the information. Many of those figures are shocked or saddened, however finally understanding of ESL’s place as a enterprise that they’ll’t assist the circuit endlessly if it doesn’t give them any return on funding. They’ve additionally careworn that it’ll not be the tip for the scene and that ESL Influence has been a spot for the gamers to develop by way of ability.
