Counter-Strike legend Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev launched his own educational course in June, but it’s reportedly shutting down after mostly negative feedback from the players.
On June 3, s1mple launched a CS2 course called “play like s1mple” after taking a break from competitive play. According to the pro player, the course would include basic to advanced tips on how to climb the ranked ladder and eventually go pro in CS2. However, the reception to s1mple’s course was underwhelming, with critics labeling it as rushed and overpriced, offering little value for the cost. Two months following its launch, rumors are circulating among players that the program may be on the verge of shutdown.
Some of s1mple’s students have reportedly already received refunds, fueling speculation that the course has been terminated.
s1mple has not officially confirmed the closure of his course, but many players believe that the idea was poorly executed and wouldn’t have worked in the gaming ecosystem.
Besides the refund reports, the website no longer plays the initial free videos, which is enough proof that something is going on with the s1mple course. It may have been going through an overhaul, but players claiming to have received refunds suggest otherwise.
Those who purchased the game say that it wasn’t worth the $100 per year subscription, not because of lack of knowledge, but because the content wasn’t anything unique from stuff you could learn on YouTube or a pro player’s livestream. The players say that they don’t blame s1mple since educating both advanced and new players in CS2 through a single video can be tricky.
For this reason, players are calling it a “poorly executed” idea. However, s1mple’s fans are happy that he’s at least refunding the students.
“The course was absolutely a–, but I respect that s1mple came to the conclusion that it was a terrible course and chose to refund everyone,” said one Redditor.
If it’s all true, s1mple should formally announce the conclusion of his course soon. This could also mean that the pro player may switch tracks in his career. The storied player may even finally return to competitive CS2.
The shutdown of s1mple’s CS2 course raises questions about his next steps; explore more in s1mple returns to CS2 with Falcons, is it permanent?.
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