The community has finally settled down after Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev announced his move to inactive status. Now it's time to reflect on the future relationship between Natus Vincere and the star cyber athlete, as well as on his overall career. This is the subject of this article from Bo3.gg.

s1mple’s Return to the Roster

The most likely scenario seems to be s1mple's return to the main NAVI roster as a sniper. In this case, Igor "w0nderful" Zhdanov would have to be removed from the team. Kostyliev is a more experienced, star-studded, and valuable player than Zhdanov, who is currently tasked with replacing him. Media presence also plays a significant role. s1mple has the most developed media presence among professional CS2 players, making him an attractive asset for the organization to attract new sponsors. Therefore, if it comes down to choosing between s1mple and w0nderful, NAVI management will likely choose Kostyliev.

READ MORE: w0nderful: "When I played in Sprout, it was easy, my aim was better"

With the competitive scene's transition to CS2, the role of the sniper has changed slightly. It has become harder to operate with the AWP, and its effectiveness has decreased. Many players with sniper rifles are now more likely to switch to AK-47 or M4A1-S. This includes s1mple, who stated during one of his streams that he is ready to switch to a rifler role. In this case, if NAVI doesn’t need a sniper, Kostyliev could well take the place of someone like Ivan "iM" Mihai, who has not yet established himself as a stable Tier-1 player.

Transfer to Another Club

If NAVI decides to sell s1mple or the cyber athlete himself decides to seek new challenges, a transfer to Cloud9 comes to mind first. Why Cloud9? Because currently, three out of the five players of NAVI's "golden lineup," which won the major in 2021, are playing for C9. Also, C9 is in dire need of a sniper after the departure of Dmitriy "sh1ro" Sokolov. It's also worth noting that these players often play matchmaking on FACEIT together. Whether this transfer will happen or not is hard to say. However, it’s a fact that such an outcome is quite possible.

If things don’t work out with C9, s1mple could move to another top club, such as FaZe Clan or Team Liquid. It's hard to pick just one organization here – it will all depend on the interest of the particular club and, of course, the final offer. Kostyliev, if he returns to the pro scene, will surely be looking for a team capable of competing for trophies. Of course, it's hard to imagine s1mple playing in the jersey of another organization after seven years with NAVI, but why not?

On the other hand, is it worth it for NAVI themselves to take such a step and sell s1mple? More likely yes than no. Kostyliev is already 26 years old and, frankly, he seems burned out with CS. Yes, he plays a lot, streams, and trains, but the former enthusiasm is no longer visible. According to Esports Transfers, the Ukrainian sniper is valued at $2.35 million — almost half of his value after the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. This figure is unlikely to increase in the future, so why not seize the moment and make money from the sale?

Ending His Career

The situation could turn out that s1mple doesn't return to the professional CS2 scene at all. Officially, the cyber athlete is currently dealing with personal problems and resting, but what if he has completely burnt out from Valve's shooter? Although Kostyliev himself denies this, as well as a possible move to Valorant.

Nevertheless, s1mple announced his own CS2 project, which he claims will literally change the scene. There are no more details, and it's only possible to guess what exactly it is about. However, it’s worth noting that his brother, Oleksii Kostyliev, left NAVI – he had been a content creator for the organization for the last seven years. His future workplace is likely to be this announced project by s1mple.

READ MORE: s1mple Announces His Own Counter-Strike 2 Project

Thus, Kostyliev may well end his professional career, focus on streaming, and his own CS2-related project. Whatever decision the club and s1mple himself make will be the right one and will be appreciated by the community. However, it would be great to see the best player in the history of CS:GO in action again.