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GamingHECZ Hints at OpTic Gaming Counter-Strike Return After 6 Years
OpTic Gaming is best known as the biggest brand in Call of Duty esports, having dominated the space and the fandom for well over a decade. However, it has been home to other esports titles in the past, including Counter-Strike, and they might look to return to the game in the future.
OpTic entered Counter-Strike in 2016 with a fledgling North American roster and became home to popular players such as Keith “NAF” Markovic, Oscar “mixwell” Cañellas, and Tarik “tarik” Celik.
OpTic’s First CS Stint
They saw relative success, including victory over Astralis to win ELEAGUE Season 2, and qualified for a small handful of Majors during their time in CS, though they were never really able to truly break into the upper echelons of the esport.
However, while the organization had expanded over the years into other games, they slowly started to drop out of titles like Counter-Strike, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant, leaving them once again with just a Call of Duty presence and a Halo roster throughout Halo: Infinite.
OpTic Gaming CS Team “Soon”
The tides could be turning going into 2026 though, as OpTic CEO Hector “HECZ” Rodriguez responded to a fan’s question about a CS2 return.
HECZ simply did an evil chuckle before following up with a whispered “Soon.”
Is Roobet Behind The Return?
This comes just a few short weeks after 100 Thieves announced their long-awaited return to Counter-Strike, with Roobet owning naming rights for the team to be 100 Thieves Roobet.
Interestingly, 100 Thieves founder Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag took on a sponsorship from Roobet just weeks after HECZ and fellow OpTic stalwart Seth “Scump” Abner did the same, so this may explain where the CS money could be coming from.
While it’s still early days, and in no way definitive, OpTic returning to CS and starting to expand their operations again will be very welcome news for fans of the organization.
