"The Nostalgia factor is definitely there" - Nabu, Director of Esports, TEC

Dust2 India got a chance to talk to Mansoor "Nabu" Ahmed, the Co-founder and Director of Esports at The Esports Club (TEC) prior to the TEC Arena Connect event in Kochi and here's what he had to say about TEC's plans for Counter-Strike.

TEC Arena Connect Pune was a successful event, how was your experience as an organiser, what do you think was a big factor in your success?

"It's always fantastic to be at a LAN event. There's just something electric about the atmosphere that online play or café games just can't replicate. Pune was a great event, the teams loved it, we had some close games and a mighty upset. Everything you want from a LAN!"

Do you have plans of integrating CS2 show matches with your CSGO tournaments like BLAST, ESL, etc?

"With CS2 it's going to be wait and see for us at TEC. While we're always quick to adapt and introduce new titles and opportunities, it's also about how ready the game is for competitive play."

What are your plans for Counter-Strike in the future?

"CS:GO has always been an integral part of the Indian esports ecosystem. There's still a lot of players all over the country who play and enjoy CS:GO and we're going to try and keep providing opportunities for as long as we can."

Are there plans to go international in terms of CS tournaments?

"Right now our focus is building the domestic base for CS:GO. Similar to our roadmap with VALORANT; build from the grassroots, create a thriving domestic ecosystem and then introduce international opportunities."

Almost every Indian gamer has touched Counter-Strike at one point. Do you think the nostalgia can be used to revive the scene in India?

"The Nostalgia factor is definitely there, but you also have to look at the fact that gamers today might not be growing up with Counter Strike like we did. With the rise of things like VALORANT, PUBG, Call of Duty Warzone, Rainbow Six Siege and Apex Legends; there are just so many great multiplayer options available to gamers. Back then with limited options, CS really hit the spot and thrived, but that's not the case today. But this is also a good thing , giving us more variety and opportunities to create exciting IPs for our community."