Karmine Corp president Kamel ‘Kameto’ Kebir has confirmed that the organization is looking into the possibility of expanding into CS:GO, potentially before the BLAST Paris Major.
Over the past two years, Karmine Corp, or simply KCorp, has become one of the fastest-growing and most popular esports organizations in Europe, with sold-out events in France, marquee player signings and record-breaking viewership numbers.
Earlier this week, Karmine Corp reached an important milestone as they made it into Riot Games’ international Valorant league in the EMEA region. This despite the fact that the organization has only been in the game since May and that its team, made up of French players, is not even the best in the country, finishing 3rd-4th in VRL: Revolution Stage 2.
Karmine Corp’s entrance into the international league is a clear indication that Riot Games respects the tremendous growth that the French organization has experienced in its short existence.
For many in France, Karmine Corp’s expansion into CS:GO would bring a level of excitement that has not been around in years. Once one of the greatest powers in the CS:GO scene, with two Major titles, France has faded into the background despite producing Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut, a two-time player of the year.
Asked about a potential expansion into CS:GO, Kameto said that he is keeping a close eye on the scene.
“CS is a real topic today,” the Karmine Corp president told 1pv. “It is being considered, I have said this on stream myself. We are talking about it inside the org, to see if we’ll do it.
“There are a lot of things on the table right now. After that, we will have a lot of time to breathe, to reflect, and decide if KCorp will come to CS, how that will happen, and with whom.”
Kameto acknowledged that he has been watching “a lot of CS these days” as he wants to know more about the space to be able to make an informed decision.
“Before I potentially come to a game I am interested in, I try to watch the scene a lot just to understand what the stakes are, what’s important, what makes the audience tick and what’s going to make me want to watch for example KCorp in CS,” he explained.
The Paris Major
There might not be a better time for Karmine Corp to enter CS:GO, with BLAST set to organize in May 2023 a major in Paris — the first Valve-sponsored event hosted in France.
For Kameto, having a Major in his backyard is “obviously a motivation” to get into the game. “We did a KCX [in-person event with 12,000 spectators] in a month, so why not get a CS roster in a month?” he asked, laughing.
If Karmine Corp do expand into CS:GO, it will not be with the intention of dominating the game right out of the gate. Kameto says there are two possible routes that the could organization could follow: a Last Dance project with veterans, similar to the one Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo assembled this year, or a team that might be less headline-grabbing but that can grow over time.
“Being top 1 right away is very complicated, I think, if you don’t have a lot of money, etc.” he said. “We don’t come from CS. It would be a bit unnatural to spend millions to get the best players left and right and be top 1.
“Even if we are in LEC and in the Valorant league, I think we can still be in CS. You don’t need millions to be in CS, it depends on what you want. We will not come with a top 1 project, but with the goal of reaching the top.”
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