Oleksandr ‘s1mple‘ Kostyliev has won his first Counter-Strike 2 event since joining BC.GAME from NAVI in July.
BC.GAME won ESL Challenger League Season 50 Cup 2 after defeating Alliance in the Grand Final.
En route to the Grand Final, BC.GAME beat Sashi Esport, OG Esports, and ESC twice to set up a clash against Alliance in the Grand Final. The Swedes opened the series with a 13-8 win on Ancient, putting s1mple and co on the back foot from the outset.
BC.GAME responded on Inferno thanks to s1mple’s defence of the A site with the AWP in hand. The display acted as the catalyst for the remainder of the match, taking Inferno 13-9 to force a Dust II decider.
The change of veto for BC.GAME paid off as the team’s strategy continued to outplay the Alliance defence. A 13-6 win on Dust II completed the reverse sweep, securing a 2-1 series win and s1mple’s maiden win for the team.
As a result of winning ESL Challenger League Season 50 Cup 2, s1mple and BC.GAME have qualified for the regional final taking place from November 18th to 20th, 2025. The winner of the four-team event will earn a place in ESL Pro League Season 23.
How Much Is S1mple Paid?
Following BC.GAME’s victory, Ukrainian esports publication PlayersUA claimed s1mple is the highest-paid CS2 player in the world, earning a salary of $130,000 (~£96,455) per month.
The report also alleged that BC.GAME paid NAVI a buyout of $500,000 (~£370,987) for the Counter-Strike legend to join the team.
It’s important to highlight, however, that this information is not publicly confirmed by BC.Game and NAVI. The salaries of esports players and buyout clauses are often debated within the community, but organisations rarely confirm with accurate numbers.
However, with gambling companies continuing to invest in the Counter-Strike ecosystem, it is possible there is some degree of legitimacy to the claims.
