The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) is the highest level gaming tour organized by the ESL, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has always been one of the most-watched games on it. Since the inception of the IEM in 2006, CS:GO has not featured any of the maps after and including Ancient. While this was not ideal for viewers, it was eventually accepted as the norm. Well, in a recent bombshell announcement, ESL CS:GO has confirmed that these maps and EPT events will be part of the IEM 2021!
I don’t think too many fans would have guessed that this day would ever come, but it has. At long last, this year’s IEM will feature every single map in its map pool.
Several fans have already expressed concerns about the map being auto-banned on all tournaments for a year to prevent hacking anyway. However, let’s not forget that the exact same thing was said for Vertigo, and didn’t turn out all that bad after all.
Train, which was the previous active map for the IEM was truly annoying and had one of the steepest learning curves for any map. Now, with the inclusion of this map, it may lead to more engagement with the community. At least, that must’ve been on the minds of the organizers and they decided this.
All we can do now is wait for the update to roll out and pray that the hackers do not ruin the fun for us. Ancient is personally one of my favourite maps among the newer ones, and this news has been great to hear. Well, I hope you enjoy playing on the map and competing for a spot on the IEM this summer!
