One of the under-the-radar stories heading into Counter-Strike 2‘s season two in 2026 has been the crackdown on CS2 skin sponsorships at Tier 1 tournaments. ESL’s recent rulebook update introduced the change to the EPT, saying “sponsors that violate Valve’s IP, including companies that interact with players’ Valve game inventories, are also prohibited.” Other tournament organizers have also implemented similar changes to their Tier 1 events. But the rule itself isn’t a new decision from Valve.
In fact, the developer first introduced the change in a December 2025 update to the Tournament Operation Requirements, with the rule only going into effect now at the highest level of competition. So why is Valve shutting down skin sponsorships, and what have teams done to comply with the rule?
