Recently, Astralis has been one of the most talked-about names in the professional CS:GO scene as they have lost two key members in a short amount of time: first, IGL Gla1ve, who has been referred to as the brain of the team, and most recently Xyp9x, one of the top support players in the world known for his clutch plays. To maintain a full roster for upcoming tournaments, Astralis has recruited two veteran players from the Danish CS scene, JUGi and Snappi. However, this duo will face a challenging time ahead with the pressures of competing for one of the top teams in the world.
Two consecutive changes in a short period have raised many eyebrows, and some figures in the community have speculated about potential conflicts between the players and the Astralis organization. In response to these rumors, yesterday Astralis published a blog on their official site written by Kasper Hvidt, the sports director of Astralis Group, discussing the recent changes and the future of Astralis.
In the opening of the blog, Mr. Hvidt wrote:
“Protecting the health of players, both physically and mentally, is vital in the Esports industry. It has also been our top priority since our early days, and we have invested significant resources to enhance conditions for our players. Astralis Group has a team that includes a sports psychologist, a personal fitness coach with full equipment, a physiotherapist, doctors, nutritionists, and other specialists as needed. This is part of our policy to build a solid foundation for our teams and players to maintain health over the long term and help players extend their competitive careers.”
Speaking about the current Astralis lineup with seven members, he shared:
“Our goal is to have 10 players with an academy team similar to the professional League of Legends scene. This will allow talents to access a professional environment and help substitute players transition to the ‘main team’ more easily.”
The pressure that CS:GO players face today is immense. We have implemented many methods to help them avoid overworking and burnout, including deciding not to participate in certain tournaments to give players time to rest and maintain their personal lives. We have also assisted players in improving their mental health, well-being, sleep, and many other areas.”
In response to the question of why Astralis players still experience burnout, Mr. Hvidt answered:
“We have encountered this situation before, and our psychologist has confirmed that this is a pressing issue in professional sports worldwide: players are facing numerous mental health challenges and need time to recover. We don’t hear about them because many players tend to stay silent, prolong their rest periods, or simply provide another reason.”
“However, we have decided that it is time to face the truth. We feel responsible for pushing this young industry to recognize that players need to have personal lives, opportunities to become parents, to rest when they are sick, and to take periodic breaks for both physical and mental recovery.”
At the end of the article, he affirmed:
“It is unreasonable for teams or players to be penalized points for deciding not to participate in a tournament or using substitute players, regardless of how justifiable the reasons may be. It is also unfair for substitute players to face immense pressure when competing in a completely new environment, with new teammates and a different playstyle. And it is unfortunate for individuals to build careers in the community and call exhausted players liars. […] The journey we have taken is not short, but the road ahead is still long. Expanding the roster for the benefit of the players, fans, and the industry will be our next step, and it should have been done a long time ago.”
Throughout history, Astralis has been known as an organization with a far-reaching vision, and their operational methods and mindset have always served as a model for other Esports organizations to study and learn from. Hopefully, these changes by Astralis will help organizations in general and the professional CS:GO scene in particular recognize the impacts of this issue and take appropriate measures to safeguard the health, both physical and mental, of players to avoid unfortunate situations in the future.