Nicolai “device” Reedtz said he personally does not like the move away from a Danish identity at Astralis, although he understands that the new ownership sees the organization as an international brand.
Speaking in Swedish during an interview with Esportstudion while competing with 100 Thieves at Stake Pulse Beat III, device discussed the recent changes at his former team, the repeated periods of instability during his time there and the importance of national lineups for the Danish and Swedish Counter-Strike scenes.
DEVICE STILL SEES ASTRALIS AS DANISH
Astralis recently completed a new international lineup by adding Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek and Nikita “cmtry” Samolotov after moving Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen and Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard to the bench.
The changes left Victor “Staehr” Staehr as the only Danish player in the active five.
device said he had spoken with members of the new ownership group about the direction of the organization and heard a different view of what Astralis represents.
In my heart, Astralis is Danish.
According to device, the owners see Astralis as an international brand. He compared the situation to the move by Ninjas in Pyjamas away from a Swedish lineup, saying national teams create a different feeling for players and fans.
Personally, I don’t like it, but that’s how it is.
device also argued that academy teams and national development structures are important if Denmark and Sweden want to rebuild their Counter-Strike scenes in the future.
DEVICE RECALLS YEARS OF INSTABILITY
The 31-year-old also reflected on his second period with Astralis and the repeated roster situations that surrounded the team.
He pointed to the arrival of stavn and jabbi following the breakup of the previous HEROIC lineup, followed later by the decision to reunite the pair with Casper “cadiaN” Møller.
Sometimes everything just gets so strange with these conflicts. They left cadiaN, and then we got him back. It was just weird.
device stressed that he likes stavn and jabbi personally and described both as easy teammates to play with.
However, he said the wider environment had frequently been affected by drama, also referencing the departure of Benjamin “blameF” Bremer after the team failed to qualify for the Copenhagen Major.
It was drama all the time. That was kind of the problem in Astralis for a long time.
He added that the new owners are now attempting to take the organization in a different direction, although he said it remains difficult to know how the project will develop.
ASTRALIS BEGIN A NEW ERA
The comments come only days after Astralis officially completed the lineup with siuhy and cmtry.
For the first time, the active five no longer feature a Danish majority, with players from Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland.
The change has also affected the wider fan community. DanishCorner recently stepped down from the role of official Astralis fan club after the removal of HooXi and jabbi, specifically citing the loss of the Danish core.
Astralis and 100 Thieves have both advanced to the playoffs of Stake Pulse Beat III, giving device and his former organization a chance to continue their runs in Stockholm with very different roster identities.
