Hiko to make Counter-Strike return when CS2 is out: “The community is better”

Former CS:GO and Valorant pro Hiko has revealed that he will start streaming Counter-Strike 2 frequently when the game is released later this year.

Spencer ‘Hiko’ Martin retired as a professional player in April 2022 after a decade-long career competing at the highest level in CS 1.6, CS:GO and Valorant.

With Counter-Strike 2 set for a summer release, Hiko has revealed that he will join the list of streamers and content creators who will be playing the game on a regular basis. “I do kind of miss this game,” he admitted in a recent livestream while playing CS:GO.

“I think I’ll make a comeback to CS when CS2 comes out,” he said. “I’ll probably start streaming the game a lot.”

After being part of the Valorant community for three years, Hiko confessed that he has grown disillusioned with the game’s player base.

“The [Counter-Strike] community in general is just better,” he said. “The Valorant community is a little cringe to me, probably because I’m just older. I think the average age in most of the CS people is higher than [in] the Valorant people.”

Hiko’s esports résumé

Hiko’s return to the Counter-Strike space would be greatly welcomed by the community, which continues to lack big-name streamers and content creators who can cater to a casual audience. He also has experience as a member of a tournament’s broadcast team, having worked as an analyst at ESL One Katowice 2015.

During his CS:GO career, Hiko notably played for Complexity, Cloud9 and Team Liquid. His biggest career achievements include a grand final appearance at ESL One Cologne 2016 and semi-final runs at DreamHack Winter 2013 and MLG Columbus 2016.

With career opportunities extremely limited in North America, Hiko decided to give Valorant a try and landed a spot on 100 Thieves. He helped that team to a top-four finish at VCT 2021: Stage 3 Masters Berlin, but the year ended in disappointment as they failed to qualify for Valorant Champions.

In April 2022, after a 9th-10th place in VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers, Hiko left the team and shifted to a streaming role within 100 Thieves.