s1mple’s buyout cost is insanely high, is it hurting his comeback?

For esports teams looking to buyout the rest of Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev’s contract, the price tag may be a little higher than they were expecting.

Global Offensive GOAT s1mple has been a part of the Ukrainian esports team Natus Vincere since 2016, and he remains one of the game’s best known players in the Counter-Strike 2 era. During his tenure, he has been a part of a major victory with Navi and several big tournament wins. s1mple was even rated the best player of the year by HLTV twice for CSGO. After stepping away from the team for personal reasons in October 2023, s1mple hasn’t competed professionally with the team since.

Here’s what is known so far about s1mple’s buyout and how much it would cost another team to acquire him.

Leaks show multi-million dollar s1mple buyout

Navi is reportedly starting the buyout for the rest of s1mple’s contract at $3 million, according to a CS2 insider. 

Team Spirit scout and CS insider @ABOverDrive shared on X that s1mple’s buyout is $3 million. Although s1mple is registered as inactive, he still likely earns a salary. Additionally, his presence takes a space on the team away from other, more available players.

Some fans suggest that $3 million may have been a worthwhile deal during the peak CSGO years, but it may be a harder sell now that he hasn’t been competitive for almost a year. s1mple is also known for talking poorly about CS2 in a way that may make prospective new home teams wary.

While few details about his current contract are known, s1mple has discussed his former buyout price and 2020 salary. Navi originally bought the CS player from Team Liquid for $1 million back in 2016. Salary-wise as of a few years ago, Owen “smooya” Butterfield claimed that he earned as much as $50,000 a month from Navi back in 2017. It’s possible the player was earning even more before his break. Additionally, this doesn’t include the almost $2 million he’s received from tournaments.

Could s1mple end up with Team Falcons?

Some fans are speculating that Team Falcons could end up buying out s1mple due to the org’s massive budget and past experience.

In February 2024, Navi loaned s1mple to Team Falcons so they could compete in the BLAST Premier: Spring Showdown in London. Team Falcon is a Saudi Arabian esports team and receives part of its funding indirectly through the government. Because the team isn’t meant to be profitable, they could justify hiring on an expensive player. This combination of being able to afford s1mple’s buyout and his experience with the team in the past could prove to be fruitful for everyone if roles worked out.

Ultimately, Navi, s1mple, and fans will all have to wait and see if anyone springs to pay the buyout for s1mple’s contract. If not, s1mple will likely remain benched until his contract actually expires in 2025.