The only players ahead of S1mple are players from the legendary 3-time Major winning Astralis roster. With S1mple and electronic in fine form, NaVi look unstoppable ahead of the PGL Major.
Natus Vincere won ESL Pro League Season 14 after a thrilling 3-2 finish over Team Vitality. The series saw the ‘S1mple vs Zyw0o’ rivalry, one that had CS:GO fans on the edge of their seats. With this victory, NaVi also secured the title of Intel Grand Slam Season 3 Champions, winning $1 million in prize money. Tournament MVP, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev has now become the highest earning player in CSGO (based off prize money) outside of the legendary Astralis Major winning roster.
NaVi joins Astralis and Team Liquid as the only teams to have won the Intel Grand Slam. Astralis won the first season in 2018 while Team Liquid won the second season in record time.
S1mple Highest earning CS:GO pro after Astralis Major winning roster
With the ESL Pro League and Intel Grand Slam Season 3 victory, s1mple is now the sixth highest-earning player of all time. The only players ahead of him are the Danish players from the three-time Major winning Astralis roster. According to esportsearnings.com, S1mple now has $1,169,838.65 in total prize money.
NaVi won $195,000 thanks to their ESL Pro League Season 14 victory. It was the team’s fourth S-tier event win which helped secure the Intel Grand Slam Season 3 victory. The IGS Season 3 has a million-dollar prize pool and the entire amount goes to the players.
S1mple and B1ade - The Dynamic Duo powering NaVi
The 23-year-old CIS player has had an illustrious career and is consistently breaking new records in CS: GO. He rose to prominence in the CIS scene during his time on Hellraisers in 2014. A young kid at the time, his talent was already making waves in the international scene. He joined Flipside Tactics in 2015 and the raw skill was a huge surprise to some of the established pros of the time. During his short time on the roster, S1mple and his team upset some of the biggest names in Counter-Strike. He was notorious for his high skill of gameplay, but also for an individual style of play that saw him make crucial mistakes at times. His friendship with Spencer "Hiko" Martin meant that he played for a few months on Team Liquid before returning back home. The player was homesick and wished to return to the CIS region to continue his career.
When NaVi picked up S1mple, the focus was always on enabling him to be a team player. While he kept reaching new heights due to his individual skill, there was a marked difference in his approach to the game. NaVi won IEM Katowice 2020, the last LAN event before the COVID pandemic. The team followed it up with victories at DreamHack Masters Spring, IEM Cologne and ESL Pro League Season 14. ESL Pro League Season 14 was the final tournament required for NaVi to cement their name in this era of Counter-Strike.
Electronic: not far behind
S1mple’s teammate, Denis "electronic" Sharipov, has also crossed the $1 million mark. The young superstar, often shadowed by his legendary teammate, now has the highest earnings for any CS:GO player in Russia.
NaVi have cemented their place as the world’s best team and look set to put on a strong showing at the upcoming Major. The PGL Stockholm Major is the only CS: GO Major of the year and will take place from October 23 to November 7 at the Aviici Arena in Sweden. It features a $2 million prize pool and 24 of the best CS: GO teams from across the world.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest CS:GO news and updates.