TL;DR
- s1mple earned 2021 Best Esports Athlete after years of elite CSGO performance
- Na’Vi’s PGL Major Stockholm victory marked their first CSGO major championship
- The team earned over $3.7 million across 15 tournaments plus Intel Grand Slam bonus
- Perfect map record through playoffs demonstrated unprecedented tournament dominance
- Award criteria focused solely on sponsored CSGO roster despite Dota 2 controversies
The Game Awards 2021 officially confirmed what dedicated Counter-Strike: Global Offensive enthusiasts had recognized for years. Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev stands as the premier competitive gaming professional globally.
Natus Vincere’s star player received the prestigious Best Esports Athlete honor at The Game Awards ceremony. This category featured numerous accomplished competitors from various gaming titles, yet the Ukrainian prodigy emerged victorious. Throughout the competitive season, he achieved multiple critical benchmarks that solidified his position as CSGO’s definitive all-time greatest competitor.
The Best Esports Athlete nomination list included emerging talents such as Team Spirit’s Dota 2 specialist Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov and Valorant phenomenon Tyson “TenZ” Ngo. The voting proved intensely competitive, but s1mple’s success was propelled by his organization’s extraordinary achievements throughout 2021. The player himself remains the unquestioned top CSGO competitor worldwide. Considering his accomplishments during 2021, he presents a compelling argument as the most skilled CSGO professional in history.
s1mple’s most significant 2021 accomplishment was securing his inaugural CSGO major tournament victory. PGL Major Stockholm symbolized a celebratory comeback to in-person competitive events following extensive pandemic-related travel limitations. Natus Vincere navigated an exceptionally challenging route to the $1 million prize, overcoming opponents Team Vitality, Gambit Esports, and G2 Esports while maintaining a flawless map record. s1mple earned the Most Valuable Player designation for the event, achieving remarkable statistics of .95 eliminations and 94 damage per round.
Leveraging s1mple’s exceptional AWP proficiency, Na’Vi additionally captured six other premier championships during the competitive year. The organization also secured an additional $1 million reward through claiming the Intel Grand Slam achievement. Natus Vincere’s most successful competitive year ever might see further enhancement with potential success at the forthcoming BLAST Premier: World Final tournament.
Natus Vincere CSGO wins Best Esports Team
Beyond s1mple’s individual accolades, The Esports Awards designated Na`Vi as the Esports Team of the Year. The squad experienced an extraordinarily prosperous competitive period, accumulating $3,775,500 across 15 separate tournaments. The Ukrainian-Russian lineup recorded one of the most financially successful seasons for any CSGO organization in competitive history.
Competitive gaming enthusiasts unfamiliar with CSGO might find this selection unexpected. Natus Vincere’s Dota 2 lineup encountered substantial controversy during the year when, immediately preceding The International 2021 qualifiers, Na’Vi aggressively recruited several players from Gambit Esports in an unsuccessful qualification attempt. Regardless of these efforts, the team ultimately failed to secure tournament participation.
The Esports Awards evaluation process exclusively considers the officially contracted competitors of a single team, rather than the sponsoring organization in its entirety.
Action Checklist
- Review tournament performance metrics across multiple events to identify consistent excellence patterns
- Analyze individual player statistics within team context to understand contribution dynamics
- Compare financial achievements against historical team performances for context
- Evaluate roster stability and player development over competitive seasons
No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » s1mple wins Esports Player of the Year at 2021 Game Awards How s1mple and Na'Vi dominated esports in 2021 with record-breaking achievements and strategic gameplay