Now: Counter-Strike Content Lead at Hotspawn

Esports & gaming journalist

I’m Daniel Morris. I lead Counter-Strike coverage at Hotspawn and write news for GameRant, and I’ve been covering CS and the wider games industry since 2022 through interviews, tournament coverage, opinion and news.

See my work Get in touch

Daniel Morris, smiling, in a burgundy polo shirt — Daniel Morris CS Content Lead · Hotspawn

3,400+Articles published
5Outlets
1.4M+Reads on my 8 most-read GameRant stories
2022First byline

01 / Bylines

Where I’ve written

Five outlets, from esports specialists to some of the biggest gaming sites in the world.

Hotspawn

Counter-Strike Content Lead

988 articlesJan 2025 – now
Author page on Hotspawn (opens in a new tab)
GameRant

Contributor

1,716 articlesDec 2022 – now
Author page on GameRant (opens in a new tab)
Esports.net

Counter-Strike writer and interviewer

629 articlesDec 2022 – May 2025
Author page on Esports.net (opens in a new tab)
Destructoid

Contributor

News, guides and lists
Author page on Destructoid (opens in a new tab)
CheatCC

Contributor

Cheats, guides and lists
Author page on CheatCC (opens in a new tab)

02 / Now running

My columns

The recurring series I write as Counter-Strike Content Lead at Hotspawn.

Latest from Hotspawn

All 988 articles

03 / Interviews

On the mic

One-on-ones with some of Counter-Strike’s biggest names at ESL Pro League, on camera and in writing for Esports.net.

04 / Selected work

The archive

A cross-section of opinion, tournament coverage, news and guides. Filter by format or outlet.

05 / About

About Daniel

Hi! I’m Daniel, an esports and gaming journalist who’s been writing about Counter-Strike and the wider games industry since 2022.

Today I’m Counter-Strike Content Lead at Hotspawn, where I run recurring columns like VRS Shift and Roster Radar and cover the CS2 calendar from Pro League to the Majors. Before that, my time at Esports.net saw me deliver interviews, tournament coverage, evergreen content and news, both on camera and in writing.

Away from esports, I’ve written more than 1,700 articles for GameRant, plus guides, lists and news for Destructoid and CheatCC. That’s timely, high-volume work, and I’ve never let the volume come at the expense of quality.

I hold a Master’s in Creative Writing from York St John University, and I’m always open to new opportunities. If you’d like to talk about work, get in touch.

06 / Contact

Let’s work together

Open to freelance commissions, features and full-time roles in esports and games media. The quickest way to reach me is a message on any of these.

Esports & gaming journalist

Where I’ve written

Hotspawn

GameRant

Esports.net

Destructoid

CheatCC

My columns

VRS Shift

Roster Radar

In The Crosshair

The Dust Settles

Latest from Hotspawn

On the mic

The archive

I Never Understood National Pride in Counter-Strike. Then mezii Came Along (opens in a new tab)

IEM Katowice 2025 Grand Final Review (opens in a new tab)

PC Game Crosses 90,000 'Overwhelmingly Positive Reviews' on Steam (opens in a new tab)

Big teams skip PGL Cluj-Napoca as reality of new CS2 circuit sets in (opens in a new tab)

CS2 Cases: The Ultimate List (opens in a new tab)

NiKo Shanghai Major Opinion Piece (opens in a new tab)

PW Shanghai Major 2024 Grand Final Review (opens in a new tab)

Hogwarts Legacy Player Makes New Discovery After 140 Hours (opens in a new tab)

Another Divinity Game is 'Definitely' Going to Happen (opens in a new tab)

10 best Halo campaign missions of all time (opens in a new tab)

Could NAVI’s Patience Wear Thin After BLAST Open Spring 2025 Loss? (opens in a new tab)

IEM Cologne 2023 Grand Final Review (opens in a new tab)

Fallout 4 Player Makes An Incredibly Unnerving Discovery (opens in a new tab)

FMPONE Officially Releases Cache For CS2 (opens in a new tab)

The 10 Best Pokémon To Use In Pokémon Unite (opens in a new tab)

Liquid’s ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ Act is Giving Me Whiplash At ESL Pro League S21 (opens in a new tab)

BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Underdogs (opens in a new tab)

After Twelve Years, Skyrim Player Notices Hidden Bleak Falls Barrow Treasure (opens in a new tab)

Ubisoft confirms Japan version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows to be censored (opens in a new tab)

Top CS:GO Major Kills of All Time (opens in a new tab)

TYLOO are Emerging as ESL Pro League S21’s New Fan Favorites (opens in a new tab)

ESL Impact Katowice 2023 Preview (opens in a new tab)

Red Dead Redemption 2 Player Commits the Most Sadistic Act Possible (opens in a new tab)

apEX Completes Counter-Strike With IEM Katowice 2025 Win (opens in a new tab)

10 classic Call of Duty maps that should return in Black Ops 6 (opens in a new tab)

Astralis Shock The MongolZ at PGL Cluj-Napoca, But I Still Have No Idea How Good They Are (opens in a new tab)

IEM Sydney 2023 Grand Final Preview (opens in a new tab)

Useful Code Gets Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Players a Ton of Free Content (opens in a new tab)

Rooster Teeth Announces Final Season of Red vs. Blue (opens in a new tab)

Free Alternatives to Grand Theft Auto (opens in a new tab)

Imperial Valkyries at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 Shows Female CS Needs Time (opens in a new tab)

BLAST Open Spring 2025 Grand Final Review (opens in a new tab)

Skyrim Fan Builds Army By Gaslighting Quest Followers (opens in a new tab)

Cloud9 Officially Exits Counter-Strike (opens in a new tab)

Every CS:GO Wear Rating - Factory New to Battle Scarred (opens in a new tab)

IEM Dallas 2024 Grand Final Review (opens in a new tab)

Hogwarts Legacy Players Share Their One Big Disappointment With the Game (opens in a new tab)

Rockstar shuts down massive GTA 5 Liberty City mod, to the surprise of no one (opens in a new tab)

8 adventure games to play if you like Life is Strange: Double Exposure (opens in a new tab)

PGL Krakow 2027 Cancellation Hints at IEM Katowice’s Downfall (opens in a new tab)

The 10 Best Free Games on Steam You Should Get Today (opens in a new tab)

Incredible Mod Finally Lets Assassin's Creed Unity Live Up to Its Full Potential (opens in a new tab)

Best CS:GO Coaches in Major History (opens in a new tab)

CSPromod Devs Reveal Standalone CS 1.6 Remake (opens in a new tab)

10 best Halo multiplayer maps of all time (opens in a new tab)

The Oblivion remake is apparently real, and could be taking notes from Soulslikes (opens in a new tab)

The Complete List of Gears of War Games in Chronological & Release Order (opens in a new tab)

ESL Pro League Playoffs to Return to Arenas From Season 23 (opens in a new tab)

All CS:GO Roles in Detail | AWPer, IGL, and More! (opens in a new tab)

Original Fallout Creator Shares Why He Left The Series (opens in a new tab)

10 best Counter-Strike maps of all time (opens in a new tab)

Into The Breach Removes NEOFRAG (opens in a new tab)

Destiny 2 DLC: Everything Guardians Need for the Ultimate Experience (opens in a new tab)

Black Ops 6 cosmetics: has Call of Duty jumped the shark? (opens in a new tab)

The Best CS:GO Casters: Our Top 3 (opens in a new tab)

Classic Offensive devs ‘auditing’ build after Valve message (opens in a new tab)

Best Whirlwind Barbarian endgame build in Diablo 4 (opens in a new tab)

PC Gamers Are Getting Refunds for The Last of Us (opens in a new tab)

The 10 Most Rare Pokémon Cards Ranked (opens in a new tab)

Valve Opens Up CS2 Major Proposals (opens in a new tab)

The Best CS:GO Knife | All Knives Ranked From Worst To Best (opens in a new tab)

After its turbulent development, Stalker 2 is already in the green (opens in a new tab)

All 25 Snowman locations in GTA Online (opens in a new tab)

Esports World Cup Foundation Announces 40 Club Partner Program Teams (opens in a new tab)

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Cheats & Cheat Codes for PC and More (opens in a new tab)