Counter-Strike: Global Offensive superstar Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev was banned from Twitch on August 13, but when will he back streaming again? Here’s what we know.
The CS:GO community was left scratching its collective head on August 13 after members of the fans noticed that s1mple’s Twitch channel had mysteriously disappeared.
Some suggested that the Natus Vincere AWPer had temporarily taken down his channel ahead of the StarLadder Berlin Major, while others believed he could have been mistakenly suspended. It didn’t take long for the real reason to come to light, and for fans to discover how long they will be without s1mple’s content.
Why was s1mple banned by Twitch?
The explanation for s1mple’s suspension was quickly dug up by esports journalist and consultant Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau.
Slasher reported that he had been banned for using a homophobic slur on-stream towards Na’Vi teammate Kirill ‘Boombl4’ Mikhailov back on July 29.
s1mple has been suspended from Twitch for one week
source with knowledge confirms this is indeed because s1mple used a homophobic slur (pidor) jokingly during a July 29th FPL game to his NaVi teammate Boombl4
here's the clip, a CIS editor even made a meme video two weeks ago pic.twitter.com/pQmx9kk7iR
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 13, 2019
How long will s1mple be banned?
According to Slasher, the Na’Vi superstar received a one-week ban after the fact and that length could be considered lucky, as other CIS players have been slapped down with a month-long ban for similar infractions.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
If true, S1mple’s channel would return to twitch on August 20. Despite Slasher’s information, the length of the ban is unknown as Twitch generally do not comment on specific bans for individuals.
Even if it is true, with the StarLadder Berlin Major right around the corner, fans might be waiting a little longer to see him broadcasting FPL games again as practice will ramp up.
from what I understand, Twitch has suspended/banned several big name Russian and CIS streamers this year for similar comments, especially homophobic slurs, some of which were for 30 days https://t.co/TYqOfqjR6O
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 13, 2019
He could very well stream during the Major, though. During his free time at the ESL Katowice Major in January of 2019, s1mple hopped right into online matches against fellow pros and rising stars in a bid to hone his skills.
Regardless of when he returns to Twitch, and if he streams anytime soon, his Na’Vi teammates will be hoping to perform better than they did at Katowice, where they were defeated by ENCE in the semi-finals.