Mobile video game developer Plarium has announced that Natus Vincere (NAVI) CS:GO player Oleksandr ‘S1mple’ Kostyliev will become a playable Legendary Champion in RAID: Shadow Legends.
The partnership is a continuation of a larger collaboration between RAID and NAVI that began in January 2021. Since the deal was first announced, RAID has been the organisation’s jersey sponsor throughout this year’s competitive run.
Image credit: Plarium/ RAID: Shadow Legends
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Sergey Bragilevskiy, Director of Growth at Plarium, commented: “We are thrilled to have one of the greatest CS:GO players of all time become his own Legendary Champion in RAID shadow legends.
“We spent significant time with S1mple to determine how he envisions himself in the world of RAID and we cannot wait for fans to get a chance to add him to their roster.”
Beginning December 1st, S1mple’s character will be available for free to all RAID players on the 7th day of gameplay within a two-month period.
Earlier this year, Plarium also partnered with ESL Gaming to become the official global gaming category partner of the ESL Pro League’s fourteenth season. Around the same time, NAVI unveiled a three-year collaboration with PUMA.
Image credit: ESI
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S1mple added: “It’s been an incredible experience seeing myself become a RAID: Shadow Legends champion, especially one that is built to symbolize my talents in CS:GO. I can’t wait for my fans to get a chance to add this character to their team and always hit their marks!”
Esports Insider says: S1mple becoming a playable character in RAID: Shadow Legends is a unique way two companies can collaborate within the esports sphere. It’s an opportunity to offer incredible fan service whilst also introducing S1mple and NAVI to RAID players that are not familiar with the organisation.