Steel unbanned from Valve tournaments — he was banned for 10 years

During the IEM Katowice 2025 broadcast, ESL organizers highlighted the return of Joshua "steel" Nissan to the ranks of players eligible to participate in Valve majors. The reason for the ban was that steel was one of the central figures in the most notorious match-fixing scandal in CS history.

This event is particularly significant for the North American scene, which has been experiencing a decline in recent years. The unbanning of the experienced captain could serve as a catalyst for its revival.

The iBUYPOWER Scandal and the 10-Year Ban
In 2014, steel, along with the iBUYPOWER team, was involved in a fixed match against NetcodeGuides, resulting in them earning considerable amounts through betting. In 2015, after a thorough investigation by journalist Richard Lewis, Valve made an unprecedented decision to permanently ban all participants of this incident from its tournaments.

However, one of the iBUYPOWER players, Tyler "Skadoodle" Latham, avoided punishment because there was no evidence of his involvement in receiving rewards. This allowed him to continue his career, and in 2018 he won the ELEAGUE Boston major with Cloud9 .

Since then, steel continued his career in other disciplines and tournament systems but was deprived of the opportunity to compete in major CS tournaments. In 2023, Valve changed its punishment policy, reducing the ban length to 10 years. And now, a decade later, his ban has expired.

Although steel is no longer at the peak of his career, his unbanning opens doors for possible participation in major tournaments, including RMR qualifiers for majors. He can also become a coach or leader for a young North American team, which can help the region emerge from the crisis.