Aussie esports organization StensGaming has dropped all forms of team and community sponsorship within the Australian counter-strike 1.6 community recently. After an unprovoked spree of recent electronic attacks on Australian esports assets and community websites Stephen and Kath released the follow statement on ESAU earlier this week:


It is with sadness and regret that effective immediately StensGaming will be dropping all forms of team and community sponsorship within 1.6. Over the past year there has been a clear breakdown of the community across all levels - competitions/Nationals seem to be losing their competitive edge, fewer players and teams behave professionally, and we feel there is less and less security around what we can offer the community without it being attacked and brought down. In having less confidence, our enthusiasm to invest in the current 1.6 market is obviously lacklustre and we feel that perhaps it is best for us to step back and see where this community is going, rather than continue to drain funds into something that at the moment is spiraling out of control. Two years ago when we joined the 1.6 community, we thought that we'd make an active contribution to fostering and developing the 1.6 scene in both Qld and Australia, but with so many obstacles facing us along the way we feel that perhaps now isn't the best time to continue this endeavour. We look forward to continuing to watch and support 1.6 from the comfort of our computer screen, and wish you good luck in your community development.

We'd like to wish Jac, Kram, c0ke, GazR and Benor all the best in this coming nationals, and they are truly the most accomplished team we have ever had the pleasure of sponsoring. We look forward to watching your progress at the WCG Grand Finals, and look forward to seeing you in Germany. We'd also like to thank Andychode, Jamesburbs and Daveslither for their ongoing support of StensGaming and 1.6. They have been with us since the begining and are the only few who have continued to contibute and assist us in everything we do. Thank you all, and good luck.

To those of you who have supported StensGaming either now or in the past, thank you and we hope you can understand and appreciate where we are coming from now in making this difficult decision.StensGaming looks forward to hopefully seeing you all again in the future.

Stephen & Kath.


StensGaming has been an avid supporter of 1.6 players as well as local events over the past few years. Sten has been a key individual in the support, promotion and operation of a large majority of counter-strike tournaments and remained in touch with grass root community elements. Such an integral part of the Aussie esports community will be sorely missed and from all of us at Sydney Underground we wish Stephen and Kath the best of luck with their future endeavors and hope to see them back in the not too distant future. To all the teams currently competing in the WCG qualifiers around the country, good luck and we are eagerly awaiting to see who will be flying the Aussie flag in Germany.