S1mple opens up on his decision to leave Liquid

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostylev is once again embroiled in controversy following his unexpected departure from Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike squad earlier this week.

This time it comes as a result of the AWP-star discussing his reasons for leaving Liquid a mere two weeks after an impressive run at the MLG major in Columbus, Ohio. S1mple begins the monologue by expressing frustration over the fact that his role within the North American team changed dramatically after the addition of Kenneth “koosta” Suen.

“They said I would have good role that I like, so it’s gonna be AWP role,” he said on his stream. “Then they bring in koosta, and he can’t play with rifle, so I said ok, I say I want to play with AWP as well, and they say ‘no.’”

S1mple’s proficiency with the sniper rifle can’t be understated: of the 9,089 recorded kills throughout his entire career, the AWP accounts for 2,908. He has nearly as many kills with the AK-47, however, which showcases the flexibility he’s become known for. In contrast, koosta relies on the AWP as his primary weapon, which s1mple claims limited his own impact in the team.

In yesterday’s announcement about s1mple’s departure, Liquid said the player felt homesick and would prefer to return in Europe and stay close to his family. S1mple added some context to this, saying that he felt alone in the Liquid League of Legends residence where he lived, and had little interaction with his teammates who lived at their own homes.

“I live alone in Los Angeles, everyone else live in their home and can meet with friends and do whatever they want,” he said on stream. “I said ‘ok, let’s do bootcamp in Europe so I can visit my family’, and they said ‘no’.”

With s1mple’s exit, Liquid will be playing with former in-game leader Eric “adreN” Hoag, who participated with the squad at MLG Columbus. As for s1mple’s, he has yet to announce where he’ll be playing next.