s1mple takes break from competition, considers role switch

The Ukrainian superstar confirmed recent rumors, stating he needs to take care of other people in his life.

Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev has taken to Twitter to confirm recent rumors that he is intending to take a break from competitive play. His post follows a report that Natus Vincere are on the verge of signing Ihor "⁠w0nderful⁠" Zhdanov from Sprout.

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The 26-year-old AWPer elaborated on his reasons for his upcoming break, stating that he needs "to fix documents and take care of other people in my life." He went on to state it would be "interesting" to see other offers upon his return, and that he would consider switching roles.

"Never thought about it but would be interesting to see offers, maybe on rifle since AWP a bit not impactful in new game. While nothing decided yet, I hope you still gonna cheer for boys in upcoming tournaments."

s1mple also revealed that whilst on his break he will be working on a CS2-related project, without providing any details.

s1mple's break will mark the end of a seven year stint on Natus Vincere's active roster, during which time he won 17 notable trophies including the PGL Major Stockholm 2021. He also counts an Intel Grand Slam among his achievements as well as a plethora of individual accolades, having been named at the top of HLTV's top 20 list three times.

s1mple publicly mentioned a desire to take a step back from competition mid-way through last year, in a HLTV interview ahead of his team's appearance at the BLAST Premier Spring Final 2022, which Natus Vincere would go on to win.

"Maybe I will take a break because I need to do things in life, like I need to move, I need to get a lot of documents... when you have a tournament after tournament you just have no time."

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His statements were made amidst a backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the team's benching of Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov. The Ukrainian remained a part of Natus Vincere's active lineup, earning the top spot on the HLTV top 20 players list for 2022 and the AWPer of the year award.

The superstar, who is generally considered the best player of the CS:GO era, saw his personal form dip as 2023 came around, although he still sits just outside of the 10 best-rated players on LAN this year.

In an effort to get back to championship-winning form Natus Vincere revamped their roster in the most recent off-season, bringing new IGL Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen in alongside Justinas "⁠jL⁠" Lekavicius and Mihai "⁠iM⁠" Ivan, becoming an international lineup communicating in English. Their recent second-place finish at ESL Pro League suggested the new-look squad was on an upward trajectory.

s1mple has been a vocal critic as the scene has transitioned to the newest iteration of the game, CS2, calling the game "shit" and suggesting aspiring pro players wait three months whilst the game was updated in a post on X.

It was then announced he would be missing the first CS2 LAN, IEM Sydney, and as no reason was given as part of the official announcement, rumors swirled as to the reasoning for his absence. It was later reported that he had to miss the event due to issues with his EU residency papers.

Should the report w0nderful transfer be confirmed, Natus Vincere would be:

Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen
Mihai "⁠iM⁠" Ivan
Valeriy "⁠b1t⁠" Vakhovskiy
Justinas "⁠jL⁠" Lekavicius
Ihor "⁠w0nderful⁠" Zhdanov

Andrey "⁠B1ad3⁠" Gorodenskiy (coach)

Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev (benched)