Valve finally lifting CS2 ban on steel after over a decade
A decade has passed since the iBUYPOWER match-fixing scandal shook the esports world, and Josh “steel” Nissan may finally have had his CS2 ban lifted.
Counter-Strike 2 is known for its frequent team shake-ups at the pro level, but it isn’t often that almost an entire roster gets permanently banned from Valve-affiliated competition. In 2015, steel and several other players competing for the iBUYSTEEL team were banned after a massive match-fixing controversy. This resulted in a number of effects, from their major stickers skyrocketing in price to an eventual backtracking on permanent bans in Valve esports. For steel, though, 2025 marks a new potential milestone in his CS2 career — a comeback.
Here’s why Valve originally banned steel from CS2, as well as if and when he’ll be returning to the pro scene.
Why was steel banned from CS2?
Alongside his formre iBUYPOWER teammates, steel was banned by Valve for match fixing in the 2014 CEVO Professional League.
In Season 5 of the CEVO Professional League, iBUYPOWER lost against Netcodeguides.com despite being the clear favorite to win. It took months for the real story to fully break, but esports journalist Richard Lewis eventually found that several people involved in the match had bet against iBUYPOWER. These included members of the iBP team itself, who bet against themselves and fixed the match to lose.
Four out of five iBUYPOWER members, along with three other involved parties, were all determined to be guilty of match fixing. Only Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham was found to be sufficiently uninvolved. Valve originally banned all seven individuals involved in the scandal from permanently from ever playing in any sponsored events again. Banned iBUYPOWER players included:
- Josh “steel” Nissan
- Braxton “swag” Pierce
- Keven “AZK” Larivière
- Sam “DaZeD” Marine
After the developer replaced the permanent ban in esports with a five-year suspension, many were asking if steel, swag, or the rest of the iBUYPOWER team would ever return to CS2. Many players, including both steel and Skadoodle, had switched to Valorant in the following years. That may all change in 2025.
Is steel still banned for iBUYPOWER throw?
Starting January 29, 2025, steel will be allowed to participate in Valve-sponsored CS2 tournaments again, as the company finally reverses his ban for an iBUYPOWER match throw a decade earlier.
Fans have long known that steel would be allowed to play in Valve CS2 events eventually. In a recent X post, the player clarified that the exact date was January 29, 2025. It follows then that other previously banned players will also be able to return on the same or nearby dates. No official confirmation has been given by any of his former teammates, though.
Notably, former iBUYPOWER members have slowly been returning to competitive Counter-Strike life since 2015. In 2017, ESL unbanned the players from any ESL and ESEA events. DreamHack followed suit later that year and further lifted all indefinite lifetime bans prior to February 2015. Neither steel nor the rest of the previous team were able to compete in majors due to the wording of “Valve-sponsored event,” though. This limited their competitive options over the last decade.
After spending much of his time playing for smaller CS2 teams, steel made the switch to competitive Valorant in 2020 and regularly places in events for the game. However, he has stated in a December 2024 interview that he would be more than happy to return to his old stomping ground of Counter-Strike should the right opportunity arise. Fans should keep their eyes peeled for an announcement of some kind in the coming weeks.
There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.
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