Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz rejoined Astralis following weeks of negotiations with Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Although dev1ce is one of the best CS:GO players, his comeback to Astralis is uncertain. Since Dec. 5, 2022, when NiP defeated GODSENT at IEM Winter, he’s been on medical leave owing to mental health difficulties. Dev1ce did not return to NiP’s active roster in 2022 and instead spent several months competing in FACEIT matches in order to maintain his level of fitness this year.
As earlier mentioned by TalkEsport and 1pv.fr, it now stands confirmed that dev1ce would be donning the Astralis colors moving forward.
The transfer reunites dev1ce with Astralis colleagues Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander and Andreas “Xyp9x” Hjsleth. The rest of the lineup includes star Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and academy player Mikkel “MistR” Thomsen, but it’s unclear if Astralis plans more roster changes after missing IEM Rio Major.
Despite dev1ce’s expectations for 2021 were not met, he still had excellent stats before leaving on medical leave. According to the statistics provided by HLTV, Dev1ce received a rating of 1.19 across the entirety of the 53 LAN maps that he played. HLTV reports he had 1.29 impact, 80.7 ADR, and 0.77 kills per round.
He stated, “I can’t describe how thrilled I am to be home again. Astralis is very close to my heart and everyone who has been here for a period of time knows that it is a very special organization with great values and lots of internal support, and I am more than ready to help build Astralis’ future!”
dev1ce was signed over to NIP in April 2021, and the initial transfer cost between NIP and Astralis was reportedly about €875,000. According to the financial statistics of Astralis for the previous year, the price is around 605,000 euros.
It is assumed that Device has paid some of the difference between the two costs out of his own pocket, which contributes to the disparity between the two fees and represents a forgone salary on his side.
Astralis has stated that dev1ce has signed “a multi-year arrangement” with the organization, but the specifics of the financial transaction around the move have not been released.
It has been less than 18 months since dev1ce departed Astralis to join the Swedish outfit NIP in a blockbuster transaction that was reportedly for $700,000. dev1ce’s return comes at the same time.
In his explanation of the decision, he stated that he wanted to establish his legacy by winning the PGL Major in Stockholm, which is the location of NIP’s headquarters as well as the city in which he was residing with his then-girlfriend at the time.
Dev1ce will play his first official match since 2021 for Astralis at the $200,000 LAN tournament Elisa Masters Espoo from Nov. 16 to 20. The likes of Fnatic, ENCE, MOUZ and BIG will also be participating in the event.
