ESL presume that IEM Cologne 2023 can play out in Counter-Strike 2

The upcoming IEM Cologne 2023 may play out in Counter-Strike 2, as ESL tournament operator presumes, according to Dust2 Brasil.

The organizers are working on the issue of transferring their title tournament to the new version of the Valve's shooter. However, at the moment, ESL cannot say for sure whether the transfer of IEM Cologne 2023 to CS2 will take place, since the state of the game at the time of the event is unknown.

We're excited about the prospect of IEM Cologne 2023 potentially being the first global tier 1 tournament in Counter-Strike 2. We'll remain cautiously optimistic because we want the game to maintain the proper level of competition for the pro scene at that point in time. This is important for us at such a prestigious event, at which we title the best team worldwide.

The tournament in Cologne will be the first big tournament after the summer break. Around the same time, Valve plans to transition to Counter-Strike 2, but the company did not provide an exact release date.

IEM Cologne 2023 will play out from July 25 to August 6. The tournament will feature 24 teams competing for $1 million in prize money and a spot at IEM Katowice 2024.