Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, at age 25, has reached the pinnacle of Counter-Strike and esports. In an exclusive interview with Dexerto, he spoke about his journey, and what drives him to achieve more.
Every sport or esport needs a face. Lionel Messi for football, Lebron James for basketball, and for Counter-Strike, s1mple. Yes it may sound ridiculous mentioning s1mple in the same breath as iconic sports legends, but every esport needs a figure capable of bringing an entire arena to its feet.
The magic of sports derives from creating villains and heroes for fans to either adore or loath. Because while sports is a career for athletes, it ultimately serves as a form of entertainment incomparable to any other medium for many fans.
You either hate or love s1mple, and that’s exactly what he wants. The Ukrainian professional CS:GO player possesses the rare “it” factor to stun audiences with his highlight reel ability. He is a polarizing figure but widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. s1mple has made it his personal mission to prove people wrong.
s1mple’s rise to stardom in CS:GO
s1mple’s earliest video game memory came from playing Heroes of Newerth after his brother showed the MOBA to him. He later joined a computer club and discovered CS 1.6, an earlier version of the historic FPS title.
After s1mple brought home his first prize from a 2v2 tournament, his family “realized that this was more than just a game and grew supportive,” according to him.
It’s become a common trend for aspiring young esports players to drop out of school, either becoming full time streamers or joining an organization. But s1mple advised youngsters to “stay in school, it will come in handy later in your life.” He found a balance between studying and chasing his esports dream.
In 2014, s1mple joined his first professional CS:GO team, HellRaisers. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t go as planned, but he saw a career path ahead of him.
“I first realized that I could become one of the strongest players back in 2014.”
s1mple experiences turbulent start to career
HellRaisers cut s1mple in 2015 in part because of an ESL wire ban for cheating, which prevented him from attending the ESL One Katowice Major. The ban, which dated back to his 1.6 days, had been extended after he had attempted to evade it.
s1mple wears his emotions on his sleeve while on the stage, and some community members considered his behavior “toxic”.
“I believed in the 2014 HellRaisers roster, and I’m sure that I was removed because of the ESL ban, not because I was toxic as ANGE1, one of NAVI’s Valorant players, claimed.”
In 2016, s1mple received a second lease on life with Team Liquid in the United States. He struggled with homesickness and failed to properly acclimate with living away from home. Despite struggling off-stage, he flourished in-game, leading Liquid to the semi-finals and finals of Majors.
At ESL Cologne 2016, he pulled off a 1v2 AWP falling no-scope clutch round against Fnatic, and Valve immortalized the moment with a graffiti painting in-game on Cache. (s1mple has graffiti tattooed on his left shoulder.)
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“I believe I had a great career and accomplished a lot in NA, having led the NA team to the Major finals for the first time.”
s1mple finally finds a home on NAVI
In 2016, s1mple found the homecoming he was searching for, joining Natus Vincere in Ukraine. He shined as the team’s AWPer, pulling off memorable plays every event with the sniper rifle in hand. HLTV ranked s1mple as the best CS:GO player in 2018, but his individual accolades still were not translating into trophies.
Critics questioned if s1mple could win a Major, but he never gave up faith in his ability as a player.
“I never gave up and believed that one day I would become a top player and win Majors. I saw what I needed to work on and always set goals for myself.”
s1mple silenced doubters by putting up one of his best career performances as NAVI won. their first Major title at PGL Stockholm in 2021. The Ukranian side made history by winning every single map in the tournament, and s1mple earned MVP honors for his heroic performance.
“It’s an incredible feeling to stick it to those who don’t know anything about me or my team and don’t realize how much I wanted this or how hard I worked to achieve this result.”
HLTV once again named s1mple the best CS:GO player in 2021, and he has won a record 21 MVP medals to date.
What’s next for s1mple in CS:GO?
Even after finally winning a Major title, s1mple doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon or leaving Natus Vincere. He recently signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the organization until the end of 2025.
“I am thrilled to have played for the Ukrainian club for over six years, though it’s not easy for me because I had not stayed on any roster for longer than a year before.”
Training the next generation of talent is essential for the growth and stability of an esport. It’s even more imperative in CS:GO, with Valorant poaching away young talent.
“I think at 30, I’ll start thinking about maybe staying in the organization as a coach or in some other position because I want our academy to become even more prominent in the future. Or perhaps I’ll go into business – I don’t know yet.”
Whatever s1mple decides to do in the future, he has already proved everyone wrong who doubted him, and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest AWPers and CS:GO players of all time.
