Why CS: GO star Device left Astralis for NiP

Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) recently announced that the Swedish CS: GO team has managed to acquire Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz for the upcoming Stockholm Major.

Although Reedtz has confirmed that bidding farewell to Astralis has been extremely tough, the worldwide pandemic has made things a lot harder for the CS: GO superstar.

Talking about his future during a press conference with NiP's CEO, Dev1ce mentioned that despite the fact that he is 26 years old, he firmly believes that he is not even close to being past his prime. Additionally, he also talked about how much he wants to accomplish with NiP in the future.

On top of this, Devi1ce also mentioned that he has been staying in Sweden for almost 4 years now, which has resulted in the player becoming fluent in the regional language. However, the 2-3 hour commute to Denmark was resulting in additional stress for the superstar. The Danish gamer even went on to explain how much impact stress and workload have on a professional CS: GO player's life.

Needless to say, now that Dev1ce is playing for a Swedish team, his upcoming performances will likely reflect a new-found confidence along with his trademark composure.

This, along with the massive prospect of NiP's young and exciting CS: GO roster, was enough to convince Reedtz to join the Swedish team. However, multiple fans in the community also suspect that his decision could be based on the long string of disappointing performances that Astralis has put up in 2021.

Astralis' performances at all CS: GO tournaments in 2021 (Image via Liquipedia)

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Dev1ce leaves Astralis for NiP's CS: GO roster

When asked about his plans, Reedtz promptly mentioned that his current goal is to win the upcoming Stockholm Major and "bring that home to Sweden." Having said that, it is also true that the CS: GO superstar has been facing problems with Atralis since the beginning of 2021.

Let's bring home some trophies! 🏆 #GONINJAS https://t.co/iHIaZuNyJz

— Nicolai Reedtz (@dev1ce) April 23, 2021

After losing 2-0 to Natus Vincere in the finals of the BLAST Premier: Global Final 2020, Astralis has failed to secure a single top-four finish in their next three tournaments.

Following a crushing defeat against BIG at the BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2021, Reedtz found himself exiting the tournament with a 7th-9th place finish.

Things seemed to worsen for Astralis after the team secured a 5th-6th finish in both the ESL Pro League Season 13, as well as the Intel Extreme Masters XV - World Championship. The final blow came at the BLAST Premier: Spring Showdown 2021, where OG knocked out Astralis in the first round of the tournament with a 9th-16th place finish.

However, as Astralis failed to rack up any notable results in 2021, Reedtz continued to impress fans across the CS: GO community with his immaculate plays. Nevertheless, as things stand at the moment, Reedtz's five-year-long journey with Astralis has finally come to an end.

With that said, it is obvious that the CS: GO superstar will be looking to add to his tally of four Major championships. As for how Reedtz will perform in the upcoming Major, it will be exciting to watch.