"I'm home": CS: GO star dev1ce marks his historic return to Astralis

Dev1ce returns to Astralis (Image via Sportskeeda)
Dev1ce returns to Astralis (Image via Sportskeeda)

Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz, one of CS: GO's most decorated players, has officially made a historic return to his former organization, Astralis.

The transfer, which has been in talks for the last few weeks, finally came to fruition as Astralis and Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) finally reached an agreement for the Danish AWPer just 18 months after NIP acquired him.

dev1ce, often considered to be one of the best players in CS: GO history, will return to the organization with whom he achieved the monumental feat of winning four CS: GO Majors between 2017 and 2019. During this period, dev1ce also reached his all-time high in HLTV's annual rankings for players, peaking at #2 in 2018.


dev1ce returns to Astralis CS: GO roster after 11 months on Ninjas in Pyjamas' bench

dev1ce's return to Astralis comes after his 11 months of inactivity. After joining Ninjas in Pyjamas in April 2021, dev1ce enjoyed a brief stint on the main team, averaging a rating of 1.13. However, in December 2021, the player announced his temporary break from CS: GO, citing mental health issues as the reason.

The 27-year-old AWPer played his last official match for Ninjas in Pyjamas against GODSENT on December 5, 2021, at the IEM Winter 2021. dev1ce is yet to compete in an official fixture in 2022. However, he has been spending his time on FACEIT in an attempt to retain his form.

Astralis is yet to disclose the details of the transfer. Furthermore, dev1ce's initial move to Ninjas in Pyjamas was reported to be around $700,000. Despite 11 months of inactivity, Astralis has reportedly paid a similar amount to re-sign the player for a multi-year deal.


How does Astralis look after re-signing dev1ce?

dev1ce will re-join his former teammates, Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth, and Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander at Astralis. He will replace Asger "farlig" Jensen as the team's primary AWPer and is expected to compete with the rest of the roster for the Elisa Masters Espoo 2022 from November 16-20.

Despite being one of the most celebrated teams in CS: GO Major history, Astralis failed to secure a slot at the upcoming IEM Rio Major 2022 in Brazil. Astralis finished the European RMR A qualifiers in 12-14th place, ultimately failing to qualify for a Major for the first time in the organization's history.

With dev1ce's return, Astralis expects to regain their former glory and thrive at the apex of the ecosystem. Their current roster is as such:

  • Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth
  • Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander
  • Benjamin "blameF" Bremer
  • Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz
  • Peter "casle" Toftbo Ardenskjold (Interim coach)

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