CS pros on s1mple’s return: Counter-Strike is not the same without him

Last week, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev made big headlines with his long-awaited return to competitive Counter-Strike, after sitting on the sidelines for months.

Danny “zonic” Sørensen and Falcons are the ones with the luxury of having s1mple in their arsenal, as he joins the Saudi team on loan.

Despite only having played three official maps in Counter-Strike 2 so far, s1mple’s comeback has already sparked excitement and anticipation within the community.

We have spoken to some of his competitors and key figures in the scene to hear their thoughts about s1mple’s homecoming. Here’s what they had to say:

- The Counter-Strike community need s1mple. He’s the biggest name in the game. I think we’re all happy to see him back and see how he will do and develop his game in CS2. The scene has missed him a lot, so I just wish him the best of luck.

- Everyone is excited about his comeback. His comeback means a lot for the Counter-Strike scene. It’s super significant. Because the more competitive the scene, the greater it is. Now let’s see what he brings to us.

- One player is not everything. There has to be a great team behind him as well. So, he can play well, but they still need to play great Counter-Strike as well. That’s important. Nowadays, if that’s the case, it’s hard to go to reach quarterfinals, b1ad3 said referring to s1mple and his new team, Falcons.

What can we expect from him, do you think?

- What can you expect from the GOAT? I think it’s up to him, he’s always been the best. He will need to re-find this confidence and feeling of the game. Back when he played, he had a high-class feeling of clutches, he could micro-manage the moment and what an opponent thinks. I think all those things he just needs to get in shape. The main question will be if he’s able to get back to his previous shape.

- It’s nice. It’s nice that he’s coming back. I always like to see him play, he’s a nice guy as well. I’ve known him for quite some time now, so yeah, I’m happy that he’s coming back.

Does it make you a bit afraid knowing that he’s back on the server?

- Nah. I’m never afraid of anyone. Even though they are better than me, I respect that. But you can’t be scared of anyone when you’re playing Counter-Strike, so I don’t care if it’s s1mple, m0NESY, ZywOo or Radosław [MAKKU] from HLTV.

- He’s been part of the scene in the entire time I’ve been playing and has been probably the best player to ever play the game. So it’s really awesome to have him back. I don’t think the game is the same without s1mple.

- I'm happy he's back. I remember when we were at IEM Katowice and I was talking a little bit with him and he said that he had some stuff on his mind.He needed a break. But hopefully he's back and hopefully he's not the guy I burned once in FPL (laughs).