A report from Finnish website yle.fi says that OG CSGO will play their first games as a squad at CS Summit 5. WIN.gg recently speculated that CS Summit 5 could be the first tournament for the new roster, especially given that many top teams are will be at the BLAST Global Finals. The tournament starts on December 12 and runs through December 15.

Earlier today, OG revealed their first esports team outside of Dota 2. The new roster consists of Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen, Nathan "NBK" Schmitt, Mateusz "mantuu" Wilczews, Valdemar "valde" Bjørn Vangså, and Issa "ISSAA" Murad.

While Counter-Strike fans knew all about the OG roster after months of leaks, there was little information available about where the team would first compete. CS Summit 5 makes perfect sense for the team as an opening tournament.

The tournament is one of the most popular of the year with fans as players and guests mingle and cast games. CS Summit 5 and its earlier versions are offshoots of the popular Dota 2 tournament series put on by tournament organizer Beyond the Summit.

As to who holds the reigns inside OG CSGO, a report from 1pv.fr implied that it was NBK who wanted OG to pursue mantuu for the squad.

As NBK’s desire to have control over his previous team was a reported reason for his split from Team Vitality, it seems likely OG has given him the keys to the kingdom here.

Regardless of where the team plays first, the CSGO community is abuzz as another new organization enters the space. While concerns exist around Valve’s direction for the shooter, Counter-Strike will continue to grow as new teams, players, and organizations bring fans and international recognition to the sport.

The business of esports is young enough that there aren't enough restrictions to prevent some organizations exploiting their players, like the community learned last summer as Fifflaren publicly revealed what life was like early in the days of Ninjas in Pyjamas.

Esports needs brands, specifically player-run organizations like OG and the pre-RFRSH Astralis, to enter and control the space. With Valve’s hidden push for monetization and predatory organizations taking advantage of players, OG is a welcome addition to Counter-Strike.

Johan “N0tail” Seundstein, OG CEO and Dota 2 team captain, has proven to be as savvy in his business dealings as he is at leading OG to TI titles, so OG CSGO should be in good hands.

(By Nick J)