S1mple’s $149 CS2 Course Refunds: The Collapse of a Promised Elite Program

Those who purchased access to the "Play Like S1mple" club and educational program for $149 have begun receiving refunds, and the video tutorials are no longer available to the public.

The "Play Like S1mple" project, launched on June 3 by Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev and ESL FACEIT Group, was intended as an educational resource for Counter-Strike 2 players. The program promised lessons from S1mple and other special guests, show matches, community tournaments, and more.

S1mple himself had emphasized the personal connection the project aimed to build, saying on social media, “Along with the educational part of the lessons, I want to build a real connection with my people, which means you can look forward to different online and offline activities for the members.”

By enrolling in the course, participants were promised access to over 70 educational videos, monthly tournaments, a private Discord channel, “personal communication” with S1mple and his friends, and access to private streams for a year.

However, just a little over a month after the project’s launch, the program appears to be shutting down. While the courses are technically still available for purchase, many buyers have reported receiving refunds, and S1mple’s lesson videos are now set to private.

Members of the project’s public Discord server first noticed that the videos became private on July 17. Refunds began appearing in users' accounts around July 22, with some stating they received refunds without even requesting them. “I got issued a refund, so I think they are just refunding everyone and moving on,” mentioned one Discord member.

In addition to the refunds, some users claimed they never received the promised invite to the private Discord channel that was supposed to include S1mple.

The project’s social media accounts have been inactive since June 6, and S1mple himself has not commented on the apparent closure of the course. His last social media post, as of this writing, was about the Copa America final on June 15.

The course had been met with criticism from the start, with many users feeling that the content was not worth the $149 price tag. “No hate but imo it’s a pure scam, I’ve seen better guides for free on YouTube for newbies and semi-advanced players,” said one user in the public Discord.

S1mple, who last competed professionally in June at the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown with Team Falcons, has not been active in competitive CS2 since October, prior to that event.

This situation serves as a cautionary tale for those looking to invest in high-priced online courses, even when they come from reputable figures in the gaming community.