Popular UK organisation Endpoint has shocked the European Counter-Strike 2 scene by letting go of its CS2 team.
On February 4th 2025, Endpoint shared a heavy-hearted statement on X (formerly Twitter) that informed the esports community that its CS2 roster has been benched and is available with no buyout.
The organisation explained that the reason behind the benching was due to a lacklustre performance as of late and the ‘dramatically’ changed landscape of the Counter-Strike scene as a whole, pointing to the VRS invitation process.
Endpoint stated: “That goal is now probably the furthest away that it has ever been.”
Endpoint’s stance on the VRS system
The Valve Regional Standings (VRS) is the universally-used new ranking system by Valve that was introduced in 2024. The VRS determines the teams that are invited to major tournaments throughout the season.
Now, a CS2 team’s standings are determined by prize money earned, beating strong opponents, and performance in LAN tournaments, among other factors dictated by Valve’s algorithm.
In the announcement, Endpoint stated that the VRS system punishes teams in lower rankings since VRS-eligible events are often invite-only, making it tough for uninvited teams in lower tiers to climb the VRS effectively. This creates a cycle for these lower-tier teams, most of which are often not significantly funded and don’t have the means to grind like top-tier teams.
“We know that sometimes teams just don’t work and it’s not a reflection on the players as individuals or the effort they have put into the project,” Endpoint’s COO Peter Thompson and CEO Adam Jessop wrote.
Endpoint went on to say it was proud of its team for the past five years and that it was not closing the door on Counter-Strike esports completely, even mentioning it may be open to a new team in the future. Endpoint wrote that it hoped to continue improving and growing the UK Counter-Strike scene.
Esports host James Banks responded to the announcement, stating: “Biggest loss for the UK scene in a long time. This is going to have huge consequences unless another org can step up.”
Others in the UK CS2 scene seemed to find the situation disheartening, noting that most teams would not want to compete for little to no salary. Some fans felt that this hit to the UK scene was continuing to dwindle the region’s presence in competitive CS2.
Endpoint’s team competed in two seasons of the ESL Pro League (13 and 16), showing its skills against some pretty big competitors in the scene. The organisation ended its run 125th in the VRS. The Endpoint CS2 team and its coaching staff are looking for a new organisation.