The top Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team in Denmark is undergoing a roster change.
After competing nearly two years alongside Astralis, Markus Kjærbye will not be representing the organization in 2018. This marks the end for Denmark’s most successful CS:GO roster in history. In 2017 the team became the first team from Denmark to win a Valve Major.
Kjærbye will, however, remain active in Danish CS:GO, as he appears to be in the process of joining Astralis’ biggest domestic rivals North. North recently benched veteran player René “cajunb” Borg, as well as Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke. The team will announce a “major signing” at a press conference later this morning.
The 19-year-old player’s decision comes only five days after the conclusion of the ELEAGUE Major: Boston, where Astralis were unable to advance past the group stage. Although the team was eliminated from the tournament by eventual winners Cloud9, Astralis’ performance was a far cry from their previous Valve Major runs.
According to current Astralis in-game leader Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, the rest of the team were only notified of Kjærbye’s intention to leave earlier today—at which point he had already signed his new contract with North.
Given the lack of notice, Kjærbye’s now former teammates have taken to Twitter to express their frustration at the way the move has transpired.
While retaining some of the best players in Denmark, North has struggled to establish itself as a major force in the international CS:GO circuit—making its signing of a star like Kjærbye one of the most significant in its history.
Update Feb. 2 5:00am CT: North has confirmed the signing.
