Counter-Strike's Smoke Criminal is back. North American player Stewie2K will make his CS2 LAN debut next week at IEM Dallas after receiving a call-up from G2, with captain HooXi sitting out due to personal commitments.
Quickly check out Stewie2k's CS2 settings 👀
His one-time addition to G2 had been hinted at for weeks, but it was finally confirmed after the team's roster for the ESL CS2 event was revealed on May 17. G2 later made the announcement official on X (formerly Twitter), adding that HooXi had been ruled out due to a clash with his sister's wedding. "I wish I could be in two places at once!" HooXi said, adding that he would be contributing from home where possible during the event.
It’s a long-awaited return to LAN competition in esports for Stewie after hitting free agency in March 2023. Prior to that, the 26-year-old enjoyed a stint in VALORANT, both as a player and content creator following his high-profile departure from Evil Geniuses. He competed in NA CS2 tournaments with the likes of Mythic before being drafted by PGL Copenhagen competitors Legacy.
“Thank you G2 for the opportunity to compete and potentially play in front of a home crowd,” Stewie said on May 18, adding that he’s looking forward to playing alongside players like Niko and m0NESY and, most importantly, having fun playing CS2 in his first LAN since the 2022 PGL Antwerp Major qualifiers.
