ESEA and ESL ban custom player models in CSGO

Following the latest update to CSGO featuring custom player models, the community has expressed concern in terms of competitiveness on the scene. Including prominent figures like FMPONE, TheWarOwl, and many top level pros, many have agreed that the player models cause trouble due to certain characters blending into the map color scheme. According to an ESEA forum post, from this day onward the use of custom player models is prohibited.

CS players association, ESEA, and ESL ban player models

The ruling is direct in its quite brief message. The post mentions that the ban is only referring to custom player models and that “Custom weapon skins may still be used.”

We're banning custom @CSGO Character Skins from play.https://t.co/kGPQFff0UO pic.twitter.com/uw6FVB6YMu

— ESEA (@ESEA) November 24, 2019

The decision is a result of certain newly added player models blending with certain maps in CSGO. This makes it more difficult for the enemy team to notice the player, giving the opposite team an unfair advantage.

ESEA is one of the most recognized online tournament and event organizers with anyone being able to join in with a subscription fee. ESL (Pro) is a company behind most of the biggest LANs on the highest level of CSGO featuring ESL Pro League and ESL One. Both companies belong to MTG, alongside DreamHack. Being household names in CSGO, the move should give the game developers a heads-up. Perhaps it was not a good idea to include custom player models in competitive modes. Unless another solution can be found, it would be best if custom player models remain in less competitive modes such as casual, wingman, or deathmatch. This way, the pro scene is happy as well as the amateur competitive community.

What do you think of the decision to ban custom player models? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. As always, remember to follow us at Daily Esports for all your latest news in CSGO as well as other major esports out there.