CS2: BC.Game sign s1mple after he parts ways with NaVi

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, widely regarded as the greatest Counter-Strike player of all time, has officially joined BC.Game Esports, ending a near-decade-long chapter with Natus Vincere (NaVi). The Ukrainian superstar’s move was confirmed on July 28, 2025, in a stunning announcement that has left the esports world reeling.

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The three-time HLTV Player of the Year spent nine years with NaVi, collecting an enviable trophy cabinet including the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, the Intel Grand Slam, and 21 MVP medals. He was named in HLTV’s Top 20 every year from 2016 to 2023.

Despite stepping down from NaVi’s active roster in October 2023 to address personal matters and growing discontent with Counter-Strike 2, s1mple remained under contract until the end of 2025.

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His latest move sees him replace Tim “nawwk” Jonasson as BC.Game’s dedicated AWPer. Nawwk was benched in June after six months with the squad.

In a light-hearted post on social media, s1mple said, “Dobby is free. I just want to play. BC.Game gave me the chance, and they’re serious about building a top-tier team.”

BC.Game are currently ranked 66th in the global Valve Regional Standings (VRS), meaning the 26-year-old will be returning to competition in the lower rungs of Counter-Strike. But this doesn’t appear to faze him.

Referencing advice from former coach Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy, s1mple added, “If you want to come back to tier one, you need to join a tier three team.”

The move follows the departure of rifler Cai “Cypher” Watson, who signed with Fnatic just hours earlier. While many fans have expressed disappointment at the drop in prestige, others see this as a last dance for one of the game’s greatest.

S1mple will make his debut with BC.Game on August 11 at the ESL Challenger League Season 50.

BC.Game’s CS2 roster

• Nemanja “nexa” Isaković
• Luca “pr1metapz” Voigt
• Aleksandar “CacaNito” Kjulukoski
• Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
• Joakim “jkaem” Myrbostad (benched)
• Tim “nawwk” Jonasson (benched)