Endpoint pauses Counter-Strike 2 operations

In style UK organisation Endpoint has shocked the European Counter-Strike 2 scene by letting go of its CS2 crew. 

On February 4th 2025, Endpoint shared a heavy-hearted assertion on X (previously Twitter) that knowledgeable the esports group that its CS2 roster has been benched and is accessible with no buyout.

The organisation defined that the rationale behind the benching was as a consequence of a lacklustre efficiency as of late and the ‘dramatically’ modified panorama of the Counter-Strike scene as a complete, pointing to the VRS invitation course of. 

Endpoint said: “That objective is now most likely the furthest away that it has ever been.”

The Valve Regional Standings (VRS) is the universally-used new rating system by Valve that was launched in 2024. The VRS determines the groups which might be invited to main tournaments all through the season. 

Now, a CS2 crew’s standings are decided by prize cash earned, beating robust opponents, and efficiency in LAN tournaments, amongst different components dictated by Valve’s algorithm. 

Within the announcement, Endpoint said that the VRS system punishes groups in decrease rankings since VRS-eligible occasions are sometimes invite-only, making it robust for uninvited groups in decrease tiers to climb the VRS successfully. This creates a cycle for these lower-tier groups, most of which are sometimes not considerably funded and don’t have the means to grind like top-tier groups. 

“We all know that generally groups simply don’t work and it’s not a mirrored image on the gamers as people or the hassle they’ve put into the venture,” Endpoint’s COO Peter Thompson and CEO Adam Jessop wrote.  

Endpoint went on to say it was happy with its crew for the previous 5 years and that it was not closing the door on Counter-Strike esports fully, even mentioning it might be open to a brand new crew sooner or later. Endpoint wrote that it hoped to proceed bettering and rising the UK Counter-Strike scene. 

Esports host James Banks responded to the announcement, stating: “Largest loss for the UK scene in a very long time. That is going to have large penalties until one other org can step up.” 

Others within the UK CS2 scene appeared to seek out the scenario disheartening, noting that almost all groups wouldn’t wish to compete for little to no wage. Some followers felt that this hit to the UK scene was persevering with to dwindle the area’s presence in aggressive CS2. 

Endpoint’s crew competed in two seasons of the ESL Professional League (13 and 16), exhibiting its abilities in opposition to some fairly large rivals within the scene. The organisation ended its run a hundred and twenty fifth within the VRS. The Endpoint CS2 crew and its teaching employees are on the lookout for a brand new organisation.