Before the official announcement of the new sniper for Natus Vincere, Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov, we had a chance to speak with the team's Chief Operating Officer, Alexey "xaoc" Kucherov.

In this interview, we discussed the team's future plans, as well as the unexpected absence of the team's former sniper, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev, at IEM Sydney 2023. We also discussed the reasons for s1mple's move to the inactive roster.

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At the beginning of October NAVI signed a new psychologist, Urszula "Xirreth" Klimczak. As an operations director and a former player, what are your expectations regarding her work with the CS team?

Players have a tight tournament schedule. Recovering in such a rhythm to be at optimal combat readiness is challenging. Additionally, there's a lack of motivation due to various reasons and factors. These are real challenges for a sports psychologist, so we now expect improvements in this direction. We hope this decision contributes to the stability in the boys' performances and provides them with additional tools to improve their form.

How satisfied is the organization with its female rosters? They undoubtedly have their competitive space, but is it still a subsidized story for the club or already profitable?

It's still a subsidized story. We have two female rosters. The CS roster is quite powerful, top 2 in the world, and we're working to make it the strongest. The Valorant roster is currently in transition due to unsatisfactory results. We want more victories, so we consciously took this step.

In your opinion, what is lacking (if anything) in women's esports in CS and Valorant for growth? Is it just a matter of time?

More viewers would elevate the level. Moving in this direction can be achieved in various ways: monetizing disciplines by publishers, holding more competitions, involving more players with a strong media presence. All of these are closely related. For instance, this year EA FC 24 (previously the FIFA simulator by EA) mixed female football players and male football players in its popular esports mode, Ultimate Team. I believe this will naturally contribute to the popularity and increase the number of female football viewers in the long run.

Returning to NAVI, even now our female rosters have a significant influence — like the Javelins squad from Counter Strike. After winning a tournament, the girls donated the $1 million prize money to healthcare development in Ukraine.

How does the club's business model work in Valorant? What are the main sources of income for the club in this discipline?

Our partnership with Riot allows the club to earn money from digital item sales during major competitions. This is the primary source of income. Also, a large number of viewers in the discipline allows the club to sign new sponsorship contracts with partners.

Currently, in Counter-Strike 2, there's a clear and profitable franchise system for clubs that will change after 2025. Have you thought about maintaining the income level? Are there markets in esports CS that are still under-researched?

It's a very global question. The current structure of the CS ecosystem is the result of its evolution over more than 15 years. It's a pity that there will be several significant steps backward, but I believe that in the future everything will continue to evolve in some other form.

At IEM Sydney 2023, the NAVI Counter-Strike team performed with changes in the lineup: coach Andrij "B1ad3" Ghorodensjkyj took the place of Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev. Can you elaborate more on the reasons for this replacement?

All necessary travel documents for Aleksandr were not ready yet.

Since the start of the war, NAVI has been heavily involved in volunteer assistance. Can you tell us about your current initiatives in this direction?

This year we not only tried to participate in global initiatives in support of Ukraine but also joined local projects that addressed the specific urgent needs of fellow citizens. For instance, NAVI's owner Maksim Krippa, through his charity foundation, purchased almost 1000 cars and much other equipment for the front, and as a club, we contributed to aid for the southern regions of Ukraine affected by Russian aggression. Among the large-scale projects that NAVI has been part of, one can highlight the reconstruction of an educational institution involving Ukrainian football stars Shevchenko and Zinchenko in collaboration with United24. We have many ideas on how to expand the charitable direction in the future, involving the Western audience. Volunteering has become an integral part of our culture.

The announcement by the Navi organization and Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev that he is taking a break in his career shocked CS2 fans. What is Aleksandr's future in the NAVI organization? How do you assess his transfer value at this stage of his career?

The available information and plans we can share have already been published. We will keep you updated on further news.

Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov, before joining Natus Vincere, played for the English-speaking team Sprout. This should simplify communication within the team. How did the team perceive his joining, and how does his playing style fit into the team's concept?

Communication should be fine; it's not Igor's first time playing in an English-speaking roster. His playing style should also fit well since we have a clear game structure in which, at least on paper, the player also fits. The team needs to work on tactics, correct mistakes, and prepare for the next opponents — the dynamics of his adaptation will be noticeable in the process.

Undoubtedly, w0nderful will face significant pressure as he will be compared to s1mple. Is Igor ready for such a burden?

It's not about comparison but about a new team member and how everything will work together. Players should always be given the opportunity to showcase their strengths; everyone has their unique style.

With BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2023 starting in 3 weeks, how do you assess the team's ability to prepare adequately for it?

We are planning a boot camp right now. Of course, in such a short time, we won't be able to prepare fully for the tournament, but again, the dynamics of progress are crucial for us. That will be our main criterion.

Recall that yesterday it became known that the team's new sniper will be w0nderful. The team will soon head to Barcelona for its boot camp, where they will work with the new psychologist and prepare for the upcoming BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2023, which starts on November 22.