One of the best Counter Strike players in the world is set to make his debut in CS2, but this time in a new uniform.
When you think of Counter Strike, you probably think of s1mple. He's been one of the best players in the world for years and while he has been taking a break from the professional scene, he is set to make his return and to take the CS2 scene by storm.
To do so, he's going to be sporting a new uniform, participating in tournaments under a new name – Team Falcons.
s1mple On Loan For Team Falcons
Oleksandr Olehovych 's1mple' Kostyljev is one of the most well-known esports players in the world. His fame is only rivaled by Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok in League of Legends when thinking of the esports world. But in 2023, after IEM Sydney, s1mple took some time off from professional Counter Strike.
He's still signed to the well-known Ukranian org NAVI, but due to his absence, the team has found a new player to fill the void of s1mple. The team called up Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov who has been performing well on the current roster.
That was quick; thank you @natusvincere for opportunity, let's see what happens next https://t.co/hdhxFVkLTO
— Sasha (@s1mpleO) February 19, 2024
But with s1mple looking to return, a new opportunity has come forth. Just like in European football, NAVI has decided to loan out s1mple to another org. So, the star player has made his move from NAVI to Team Falcons – a Saudi Arabian esports org – for a one-month period, with him set to compete at the BLAST Premier: Spring Showdown 2024.
This was announced on February 19, with Team Falcons stating that Mohammad "BOROS" Malhas would be benched. Quickly after they revealed his replacement to be none other than s1mple.
It'll be interesting to see how s1mple will fit into the team. If things go well during the BLAST tournament, we could see him become a permanent fixture on the team in the future perhaps, but for now he's just on loan for one month. But it's interesting to see Saudi esports teams following in their football teams as well, picking up the biggest super stars, eh?