s1mple banned from Twitch for homophobic language, again
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev has been banned from Twitch again.
The Natus Vincere star is being forced to take a break from streaming on Twitch due to his use of homophobic slurs. It is unknown how long the ban is for, but his previous ban for the same infraction was for one week.
As is protocol on Twitch, s1mple’s channel has been removed, which makes it impossible to clip the moment that led to his ban. s1mple put forward a statement seemingly confirming this while also bashing Twitch for the punishment.
“Another ban, stupid twitch doesn’t understand the different meanings of the same word in different contexts I’m tired of streaming on a terrible platform, always choosing the right words,” s1mple said on Twitter. “If you give ban for nothing, then the rules should be the same for other streamers as well.”
He went on to note that he attempted to relinquish his partner status on Twitch, but was unable to do so due to his ban from the platform.
Twitch punishments are uneven, but s1mple not just a victim
s1mple is certainly correct in criticizing Twitch for being uneven in terms of its distribution of punishment. The platform has been repeatedly and frequently criticized for its unclear rules and apparent preferential treatment of popular personalities.
The most infamous example of this include Natalia “Alinity” Mogollon hurling her cat backwards over her head and receiving no punishment and Fortnite pro Turner “Tfue” Tenney receiving no punishment for using a racial epithet during a recent stream. Meanwhile, other streamers have been banned for offenses as innocuous as saying the word “nerd” during streams.
While Twitch would be well served in fixing these issues, s1mple’s ban doesn’t fall into an ambiguous category. s1mple’s punishment stems from his use of a Russian word that is akin to a common homophobic slur in English. He was banned for the same thing in August after saying the word in jest towards teammate Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov during a game of Counter-Strike, and stated that Twitch was a “joke” for punishing him.
Though fans called for him to move to rival streaming service Mixer after Twitch announced his latest ban, s1mple will be hard-pressed to find any kind of social media platform that will tolerate the use of homophobic slurs, no matter the context.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
View full profile
Read Also
News
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027
Ben Boland
The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...
Esports Betting
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the ...
Counter-Strike
CS2 at the EWC 2026 Preview: Odds, Details, Predictions and More
Owen Harsono
Top-tier Counter-Strike action returns at the Esports World Cup, as 32 of the best teams will take the trip to Paris to compete for millions of dollars. If you’re looking to watch the event, here’s everything you need to know and which teams to keep an eye on. The Esports World Cup is one of the largest CS2 events if we’re looking at prize pools, as $2,000,000 will be distributed ...
News
Opinion: Is Esports Tracing the Same Evolutionary Path As Traditional Sports?
Cecilia Ciocchetti
What happens when an industry compresses centuries of sporting evolution into less than a decade or two? Communities become global audiences overnight, rivalries spread through social media within minutes, and tournaments turn into entertainment products faster than ever before. And so what took traditional sports centuries to build has taken esports a fraction of that. From local communities to sold out arenas, and from informal matches to Olympic-style events, the ...
Counter-Strike
BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-final predictions: who’s making it to the grand final?
Owen Harsono
The top four teams we’re seeing at the BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-finals are far from what anyone would expect before the tournament began, but here we are. We’re only three matches from crowning a winner, so let’s take a look at the best BLAST Bounty semi-final predictions for both upcoming matchups. Starting the semi-finals off is a banger of a series between FaZe Clan and Team Spirit, which is one ...
Counter-Strike
We Ranked The Top 5 Most Hated CS2 Maps
Owen Harsono
If you’re a Counter-Strike player, you probably have that one map you always ban first in every Premier game — and you're not alone as almost everyone has one too. Below, we’ll take a look at the most hated maps in Counter-Strike history and explain why they are disliked by the community at large. Anubis is one of the newer releases in the Counter-Strike 2 map pool, but it has ...
Counter-Strike
The Top 10 Best Clutches in Counter-Strike History Ranked
Owen Harsono
Pulling off an impossible clutch is one of the greatest hits of dopamine any Counter-Strike 2 player can ever feel. However, pulling them off at the highest level can be a little tricky since everyone is so coordinated. That’s exactly why mind-blowing clutches are remembered forever. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the 10 best clutches in Counter-Strike history. We’re opening the list with former mousesports ...
