After five years of silence, one of CS:GO’s classic orgs is eyeing a CS2 re-entry.
Envy, the North American-backed organization with a tenured history in CS:GO, is looking at making a return to Counter-Strike in CS2 according to owner Mike "hastr0" Rufail after a five year break from the game.
Envy, previously known as EnVyUs, has seen both sides of the Counter-Strike coin; from one of the most formidable orgs fielding a Major-winning French squad, to total capitulation after moving to North America. Now, Envy is reportedly shaping to start over in CS2.
Envy eyes CS2 entry in the near future
Hastr0 made his intentions clear on April 15, posting on X/Twitter that Envy will make a move back to Counter-Strike in CS2, possibly as early as this year. "We have to get Envy back into Counter-Strike. We have begun to explore all opportunities and will jump on the right one when we find it," hastr0 said, adding both he and CEO Dean "DerangedNative" Duro are keen.
He followed up with a post featuring photos of an EnVyUs sticker and the DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca trophy, which hasbr0 says is still sitting in his dining room. "We are seriously in rebuild mode."
Envy's history in Counter-Strike is a mix of the highest highs and the lowest lows. As EnVyUs, they became a powerhouse of European CS:GO, pushing French superstars like Richard "shox" Papillon, Vincent "Happy" Schopenhauer and Kenny "kennyS" Schrub into the history books with numerous tier one wins.
The peak came in 2015 with EnVyUs taking home France's second Major win at DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca, but the team's form began dropping off after several failed roster changes. With EnVyUs operating out of Dallas, Texas, and results slipping away, hastr0 made the tough decision in 2018 to cut off the French division and switching to an American roster.
EnVyUs would never make it to another major, fizzling out during the COVID shutdown and recording very few officials in 2020. The final lineup saw an international mix-squad, led by AWPer Noah "Nifty" Francis and Turkish player Buğra "Calyx" Arkın, crash out of 2020's Flashpoint Season 2.
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Who could debut next season with Envy?
The question, then; who could Envy acquire? Timing is a little poor with most teams already locked for the BLAST Austin Major. But we often see mass roster changes occurring after a major, and oftentimes we see whole squads available to pick up.
As much as a French reunion would be welcomed with the pick-up of a top team like 3DMAX, its more likely Envy would take something closer to home. With distance a key factor in their exit from French CS, eyes would probably be on teams challenging for the North American MRQ this week.
It's also possible a squad of free agents could be formed to represent the org, but in this era of the VRS, it's a long road to tier one competition from the bottom, let alone an appearance at a major.
But, as of now, we can only speculate. We'll likely see more of what Envy plans for a CS return after the Austin Major.
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