Brazilian streamer Alexandre “Gaules” Borba is riding the wave of excitement surrounding Counter-Strike 2, the highly anticipated successor to the immensely popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Gaules, a beloved figure among fans, has now reached an impressive milestone of four million followers on his Twitch account.
Gaules is among the streamers who have benefited greatly from the rise of “costreaming” in the esports industry. Publishers and third-party organizers such as ESL and Riot Games grant certain streamers the rights to host watch parties for their tournaments, with the condition that the co-streaming analytics count towards the official broadcast numbers.
Given Gaules’s close ties to the professional Brazilian scene, it’s no surprise that he has gained such popularity. The recent ESL Counter-Strike Rio Major was practically dominated by Gaules, as he co-streamed from inside the stadium and even had the opportunity to address fans through the in-stadium official channels.
This year alone, Gaules’s stream has accumulated a staggering 89.3 million hours of viewership, according to data from SullyGnome. At its peak, his stream attracted over 250,000 concurrent viewers.
Despite the hype surrounding Counter-Strike 2, it is evident that the game still requires further development before it can meet the high standards set by its predecessor. Renowned North American player Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski has pointed out several issues with the game since its launch. Players using AMD graphics cards have experienced significant in-game stutters, and casual players have lost all their Steam achievements from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Additionally, multiple professional players have expressed that the game is not yet ready for competitive play.
Nevertheless, despite these challenges, Counter-Strike 2 continues to progress, and there is no doubt that it will eventually rival, if not surpass, the success of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It is worth noting that the previous iteration of the franchise also faced significant issues at launch, which were eventually resolved over time. Counter-Strike 2 simply requires more time to reach the same level of completeness as its predecessor.
Source: DOTESPORTS
