Danish esports organisation Astralis said their partner Netcompany’s giveaway of 230 female skins in CS2 saw the skins go in less than half an hour, after an open letter sparked debate.
These were given away to predominantly female players in less than 30 minutes, which the org says confirms the interest and demand.
The giveaway happened after Astralis’ women’s Counter-Strike team (consisting of Aurora, Josefine, Marie, Anja and Ismo) published an open letter to Valve, calling for greater representation in the game. They asked Valve to add free default female skins in CS2.
The letter stated: “Using a female agent skin costs extra, while default skins are all male. We don’t know why it is so, but we know that it strikes us as being both unfair and a bit unwelcoming. It certainly feels that way and in some way it supports the sexism that we unfortunately still encounter.
“There should be no difference between agents. There should be as many free female agents as free male agents.
“We believe more women would start playing the game if there were default free female agents, and at least those of us playing now would feel more welcome.”
The letter sparked debate in the community, with some backing the team’s request and aggreeing with the need for greater representation for women in the game, as others said other more pressing changes are needed in CS2 at the moment.
Regardless, Astralis’ women’s team partner Netcompany purchased 230 agent female skins in CS2 and gave them away online, and there are plans to givea way more.
Netcompany said: “As main sponsor of the Astralis Women team, we are proud that they choose to use their voice and we want to support their battle to free the female agents. This is why, we have bought an amount of female skins in CS2, that you can sign up for and use in the game.
“We’ve done this to support the women’s agenda, and in hopes of having more players joining the game as the agent they want to play without having to pay. Thank you Aurora, Josefine, Marie, Anja and Isabella for opening up the debate. We are right behind you.”
Netcompany COO Le Gammeltoft sent the following statement to Esports News UK: “I am proud that the team are choosing to use their voice to demand change and fight for equality in gaming. We’re hoping Valve will reverse its decision to not make free female skins available in the game, as it is so important for women and girls to see themselves in the technology they engage with. But until then Netcompany will do what it can to support girls and women in this male-dominated space.”
Astralis also sent the following comment from British esports host and personality Frankie Ward on the topic:
“Being centred as a women’s issue makes some of the community immediately resistant – and it’s a shame that this is the case.”
Frankie Ward
“I’d say that the reactions to the letter were interesting, because people came out in opposition, often making an argument that other parts of the game need fixing, when their issues with the game are unrelated to what would predominantly be a cosmetic change.
“In reality, people opposed likely do not feel strongly about player models at all. And yet, there are so many players who enjoy trading and showing off their in-game weapon skins and stickers.
“So, perhaps if people reframed their thoughts around those customisations extending to player agents, maybe they could understand why players might want the option of a default female agent to choose from/play as before investing sooner (you can earn less valuable in-game items simply by playing).”
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Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
