The move comes in the midst of a potential ESIC investigation into the organization.
Astralis CEO Nikolaj Nyholm has stepped down, the company announced on Linkedin. The Danish entrepreneur is a co-founder of the legendary organization. While Nyholm will remain a board member, Astralis' former CFO, Jakob Hansen will take over as interim CEO.
The news follows the recent BLAST announcement requesting a formal ESIC investigation into the conduct of Astralis pertaining to the use of Casper "cadiaN" Møller as an emergency substitute at the recent BLAST Premier Fall Finals.
Astralis as an organization began when Nikolaj Nyholm's RFRSH Entertainment entered Counter-Strike. The team initially marketed itself as a player-owner organization featuring the former TSM-roster headlined by Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz. RFRSH Entertainment simultaneously operated the BLAST Pro Circuit, predecessor to the BLAST Premier we see today. The company was also tied to Heroic and Godsent. The two organizations were "spun off" following Valve's crackdown on multiple team ownerships.
The ownership of multiple teams and a tournament organizer was a business structure criticised by various industry pundits prior to the Valve ruling. Nyholm severed ties with BLAST when RFRSH sold Astralis to the newly-founded Astralis Group ApS in 2019.
In 2020, Anders Hørsholt took over as the CEO of the Astralis organization. Nikolaj Nyholm assumed the position of Astralis' Chairman of the Board. Earlier this year, the Danish entrepreneur returned to the head the organization, replacing the outgoing Anders Hørsholt after 4 years.
Related articles
"Nikolaj Nyholm has stepped down from the role of CEO, returning to his role as a board member of Astralis and other outside projects."
With the ongoing criticism and controversy surrounding the team, Nyholm's decision to step down as Astralis CEO after just 10 months is intriguing. How it will impact the organization itself remains to be seen. But the Counter-Strike division itself should largely remain unaffected as former Heroic man, Kasper Straube remains in charge.
