Ibuypower Steel Banned -

The incident occurred in August 2014 during a CEVO Professional Season 5 match between iBUYPOWER and NetCodeGuides.com. Despite being heavy favorites, iBUYPOWER lost 16-4 in a suspicious performance characterized by strange tactical choices and failed knife kills. Subsequent investigations revealed that the players had conspired to throw the match to profit from high-value weapon skins bet against them on the site CSGOLounge.

The iBUYPOWER match-fixing scandal remains one of the most infamous chapters in Counter-Strike history, resulting in permanent bans for several top-tier North American players, including Joshua "steel" Nissan. ibuypower steel banned

While the players were eventually unbanned by third-party organizers like ESL and DreamHack in 2017, Valve’s "Major" ban remained permanent. This effectively ended their professional CS:GO careers at the highest level, as they could no longer compete for the game's most prestigious titles. The incident occurred in August 2014 during a

In January 2015, Valve issued a formal statement indefinitely banning the involved players from all Valve-sponsored events. The banned individuals included: Joshua "steel" Nissan Sam "DaZeD" Marine Braxton "swag" Pierce Keven "AZK" Larivière The iBUYPOWER match-fixing scandal remains one of the

Joshua "steel" Nissan eventually transitioned to professional VALORANT, where he found significant success and a fresh start. The legacy of the iBUYPOWER ban serves as a permanent cautionary tale regarding competitive integrity and the severe consequences of match-fixing in esports.