The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players of the seven teams in the Professional Esports Association voted Wednesday to continue to compete in the ESL Pro League instead of the PEA league, as outlined in a Slingshot Esports report and confirmed by multiple sources to ESPN.
On Dec. 20, controversy between the players and their organizations began following a Slingshot Esports report that the teams-Cloud9, compLexity Gaming, Counter Logic Gaming, Immortals, NRG Esports, Team Liquid, and Team SoloMid - were attempting to collectively withdraw from the ESL Pro League without notifying their players of the measure.
The following day, 25 of the 35 players released an open letter, via Counter-Strike community figure Scott "SirScoots" Smith, stating that they would collectively oppose this motion and were disappointed in their teams for not involving them in such a decision. After back and forth between the two parties, the PEA released on Dec. 23 that it would allow its players to vote between ESL Pro League and the PEA. They have now chosen the former.
As a result, the PEA claimed that shall the players make the decision that they have, the PEA would remove itself from Counter-Strike and work towards other games. It is currently uncertain if the PEA will follow through with this decision.
The PEA launched in September as a collective of North American teams in response to the World Esports Association (WESA), a similar body comprised of European teams and organizer ESL. The PEA intended to host its own Counter-Strike league in 2017, as well as work towards a more stable and regulated environment in North American Counter-Strike.
