Counter-Strike star Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev has broken his silence on a potential return to pro play in CS2 after finally experiencing the changes on LAN.
When Valve announced that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive would be making way for CS2, the competitive scene was shaken up. Some rosters were quickly overhauled as some players couldn’t get to grips with the movement and overall gameplay changes.
NAVI were also included in that. They saw s1mple – the greatest Counter-Strike player of all-time – decide to take a backseat as he wanted to see Valve make some changes. After s1mple benched himself, the Ukrainain’s team went on to win the first CS2 Major – PGL Copengahen Major – and the Esports World Cup.
There has been plenty of talk about him returning, something he “hopes” to do with NAVI. Yet, it might be tough.
“Na’Vi doesn’t need S1mple; Sasha needs Na’Vi. There are things that are hard to talk about but the motivation never faded. I’m genuinely very happy with how the guys are playing, but sometimes they lack professional egoism, and that frustrates me,” s1mple said on his official Telegram account following IEM Cologne.
The Counter-Strike legend continued, saying he wants to return: “I hope to return someday, I’m tired of doing nothing. And when I come back, I’ll definitely be stronger – it’s just a matter of time.”
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"I will come back stronger"Strong speech from s1mple 👏 pic.twitter.com/rzcVz5Oe0P
— Ozzny (@Ozzny_CS2) August 18, 2024
The 26-year-old said it’s “sad” that he’s not a part of the team he’s been with since 2016 anymore. However, he is pleased by their development and accepted he’s been harsh with criticism.
As for his own experiences with CS2, he added: “First time playing on LAN, even though it’s a showmatch – the game feels different, you don’t need to use any extra stuff to help you.”
S1mple has competed in CS2 in 2024, when he joined Falcons Esports on loan for a series against Metizport.
He didn’t exactly go off as he normally does in that series, having a kill death ratio of 38-49. Though, he’s clearly got a bit more practice under his belt, and now that competitive fire is raging.