S1mple is leaving Natus Vincere’s starting CS2 lineup to take a break, he confirmed today. And although he’s open to other team offers, it’s unlikely we’ll see the CS:GO GOAT participate in the first tournaments of the new game.
The Ukrainian superstar told his fans on Oct. 26 that he needs to “fix documents” and “take care of other people” in his life. This comes after HLTV reported that NAVI is signing Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov to take s1mple’s spot in the lineup.
While s1mple said he’s never thought about leaving NAVI, he admitted it would be “interesting” to hear offers from other organizations and is considering ditching the AWP—the gun he shined the most with during CS:GO—to become a primary rifler as he feels the sniper rifle isn’t as “impactful” in CS2.
S1mple has been an active player since 2013, when he first started competing in CS:GO, and has never taken an extended break before. Though s1mple was already recognized as one of the best players in the world before joining NAVI in August 2016, it was under the Ukrainian club that he shined the most.
The Ukrainian AWPer was named ESL’s player of the decade in 2022 and netted HLTV’s best player in the world award in 2018, 2021, and 2022. On top of the individual accolades, s1mple won plenty of prestigious international tournaments with NAVI, including IEM Katowice in March 2020, BLAST Premier Global Final in January 2021, IEM Cologne in July 2021, ESL Pro League season 14 in September 2021, and most notably the PGL Stockholm Major in November 2021.
Since CS2 came out, however, s1mple has been vocal about his distaste for the game and is entering a break without playing a single official match.
We can expect s1mple to get offers from nearly every team in the world as he’s good enough to improve all teams, at least on paper—especially if he becomes a primary rifler.
